Sith Gothic 2
by gothicjedi666
Summary: The next part of my Sith story, who knows maybe I'll even finish this one.
1. Chapter 1

_Peace is a lie_  
 _There is only passion_  
 _Through passion I gain strength_  
 _Through strength I gain power_  
 _Through power I gain victory_  
 _Through victory my chains are broken_  
 _The Force shall set me free._

The Code of the Sith

 **Sith Gothic 2 – The Dark Lords**

 **Part 1**

 _AWAKEN_

 _AWAKEN_

A voice told me wake up, and while I was trying to sleep the word kept repeating within my mind so soon I opened my eyes. When I did I found that I was floating in some sort of fluid. This was not welcome news, yet I found that I could breathe which was something that prevented panic.

 _FREE YOURSELF_

The instruction came from someone else, and for some reason it was impossible to resist, so I pulled off the tubes that held me in place and I escaped the tank by climbing out of it. It was not a pleasant thing to do as I'd had to remove the breathing mask, and that meant for a few seconds I'd been drowning.

I managed to crawl to the centre of the brightly lit room and once there I lay unmoving for a few moments, as I was aching all over. I'd been in that tank for so long that my muscles had weakened, and now they were screaming in pain. I tried pushing myself up off the ground, but I fell back to the floor with a thud.

After what felt like a very long time I was able to pull myself up, and I surveyed my surroundings. Things were blurry at first, but soon enough everything came into focus. Then I got dizzy, but thankfully that past as well.

It was a med bay of some sort that was for sure, and the tank I'd been floating in had been full of kolto, what they used in this time period instead of bacta, which meant that I must have been injured quite badly, but I had no recollection of being hurt. This was worrying as it meant I had no idea if I was out of danger or not.

There were other four tanks in the room and they each held what seemed to be workmen of some sort, they were dressed in ragged remains of a matching grey uniform so it was clear that they were all employed by the same company. Although I hadn't a clue what business that could be.

Sadly they were all dead which meant that the healing waters of the kolto tanks hadn't been able to save them even though it had saved me. Since they seemed to young and strong I assumed it was the Force that had made the difference.

Next I checked myself out, hoping to figure out how I had been injured, but I had no cuts or bruises. The only thing odd about my body was the fact that I had been stripped down to my underclothes, but that was to expected when getting medical treatment.

Thankfully it was warm here in the med bay, and there was no one about so I no reason to be embarrassed. Not that I would otherwise as I kept myself fit, and I'd not exactly been sedate these last few years.

"Okay I better figure out where the hell I am" I said to myself.

As there was a computer nearby it didn't take me long to uncover some of what had happened here. The medical computer even told me the name of the ship that had brought me to this station, the Ebon Hawk, which made sense as I'd been using that ship while travelling around the galaxy ever since I'd stolen it.

Soon I discovered that I was at the Peragus mining colony, which was located inside of a large asteroid somewhere in the asteroid belt circling Peragus II.

That little bit of information made things much clearer to me. Given the time and the location I knew now that I was at the beginning of the game Knights of the Old Republic 2. I had actually intended to come here in order to help the Exile, but not like this and I had the horrible feeling that something bad had happened to the Exile.

I also checked out the local history of this place, and read some reports about a mining explosion a few years before that had destroyed the planet, and I also found out that this was an important source of fuel for the Republic. Reading that refreshed my own memories of the events of the game.

The medical logs also told me there had been some sort of massive droid malfunction on the station and that the men in the tanks had been administered a lethal dose of tranquilisers, as had I. However since I was not a normal man I had survived.

Now even memories were flooding back. I remembered what was happening here, at least most of it, and I also knew what I had to do next.

The morgue was across the hall and while it was sealed I was able unlock that door via the console inside the med bay. Which was something I wouldn't have been able to do not so long ago as I'd never been very good with the local tech, yet I am seemed to have gotten the knack for it at some point without even realising.

There were two bodies in the morgue, one was an elderly woman, who wasn't really dead I knew, and there was a middle aged human female. She was tagged with the name: Meetra Surik.

"Kriff" I swore.

This was very bad as Meetra Surik was the Jedi Exile, the Force User who was supposed to save the galaxy from the Dark Lords. Only now she dead so the galaxy was doomed.

"Kriff" I swore again, this time more loudly.

I'd quickly come to realise that if the Exile was dead then I was going to have to stop the Sith. I had intended to help her, but I'd never wanted to be the one with the special destiny. However I didn't want the Jedi to be wiped out, as then there would be no one to stop the Truth Sith when they were ready to invade a few centuries from now.

"Find what you are looking for amongst the dead?" someone then asked.

The woman was old, but it was hard to judge just how old she was since she was covered, from head to foot in a brown cloak, and her face was almost hidden below a hood.

"I am Kreia" the woman said by way of introduction "Tell me do you recall how you got here".

Since I knew this old lady was a lying bitch I was tempted to ignore her and just get on with things, but I knew that I would need her help. My education about the Force had huge gaps in it. A result of poor training more than my own failings.

"Not really" I replied.

Another thing that bothered me was that I couldn't feel the Force. I knew that things like sedatives could make it difficult to feel the Force. However the drugs had mostly worn off by now, however I still couldn't connect to the galaxy wide energy field.

I'd grown up without it so I knew how to function as a normal person, but given that there was a fucked up Sith Lord heading this way I would have really liked to have my super powers back.

"I confess I know little more than you do" admitted Kreia. "I do not know where here is".

My plan was take everything this batty old cow said with a pinch of salt. However there was no reason to make my distrust of her so obvious. I figured that she was going to try to use me as a weapon it was best if she underestimated me, and thought me to be a trusting fool.

"We are at the Peragus mining facility" I told the former Jedi "Not that far from Telos if I remember correctly".

That was the first planet after escaping this place in the game as such it had to be close by, at least in terms of hyperspace travel.

"I do recall rescuing you" the Sith bitch was now saying "The ship you were on was attacked, and you were the only survivor. A result of your training, and your skill with the Force".

It was possible that I'd somehow gotten knocked off course when entering hyperspace. I'd been heading for Republic territory, so while it was highly unlikely it wasn't impossible that I had been found and then recovered by another space craft.

"If you think I'm some sort of Jedi, then you are greatly mistaken" I said.

Technically I was a Dark Lord. I had been given the rank of Darth by Malak.

"I never said you were a Jedi" was the old woman's response.

She was right, she hadn't actually used the word: Jedi .I needed to focus better, the drugs were still in my system even if they were no longer keeping me asleep.

"Keep your past in the past" said Kreia "let us focus on the now".

Thankfully Kreia didn't want to accompany me further into the facility, instead the older woman sat down on the floor of the morgue and began to meditate. Which was so not helpful. I left her too it and began to explore.

Dead bodies littered the rooms, and while I badly needed some clothes I simply wasn't willing to strip a corpse, the smell and the stains put me off the idea more than the idea of undressing a dead person. The morgue should have been kept cold to halt the decay of the flesh, but it was warm in here for some reason.

Not that it mattered, getting off this facility was my main priority as a messed up Sith Lord was about to pop in for a visit, and there was a killer droid on the lose. Compared to that being half naked wasn't a big deal.

Soon I found a vibrocutter near one hapless victim, a cutting tool capable of getting through solid metal walls, and I intended to put it to good use against a few of the mining machines that had been reprogrammed by the HK droids. I'd once owned the HK-47 so I knew how dangerous that model was so I also needed a proper weapon.

I was worried about what came next as I knew that I would have to fight several rooms of full of deadly mining droids, and worse I'd have to do without the Force. Thankfully I soon a blaster pistol of some sort, and since the machines were terrible shots I was able to take them out without getting myself hurt.

Within the next room I found another active computer. From this machine I found the security officer's logs. The records strongly suggested that all of the troubles had started shortly I had arrived.

Also I then discovered that there was a big bounty for Jedi. This was what had gotten Meetra killed, and this had nearly killed me as well even though I was no light lover. Few people understood the difference between the two groups so I wasn't that surprised by this.

Before I left the security desk I flipped through the screens to see what was on camera. Mostly what I found was empty rooms, some still active droids and dead bodies. It was all rather depressing.

Soon I found what I was looking for: Atton Rand. He was locked up in a holding cell and he was alive. I knew it was him as he was a man with dark brown hair, and he was wearing a jacket.

Oddly his mouth was moving as he stood stock still in the cell. He seemed to be talking to himself, and I wondered if he'd gone crazy. Given that he'd been alone for what could be a few days I didn't blame the guy for being a bit mental. In fact I was amazed he was still breathing given that no one would have given him any food or water.

"I better go save him" I said to myself.

If nothing else I needed someone to fly the Ebon Hawk.

In the next room I was forced to fight another malfunctioning droid and this time the blaster stopped working so I had to whack it with my cutting tool.

Then all of the sudden I felt the Force flow through me once again. The feeling of being once again connected to the universe around me was almost overwhelming despite it being only a trickle compared to the might river I'd once known.

Until I now I hadn't realised just how much I'd missed this connection. I could feel the energy that bound this galaxy together I could sense two human lives and even the droids waiting for me in the next room had some existence within the Force.

Sadly it came with a down side. Kreia was back inside my head.

"Ah... you hear it. It is faint... but it is there"

I didn't reply to the voice I just stood there stunned for a few minutes. However the feeling didn't last as I lost the connection and it didn't return. I guessed that I needed to do some more fighting. That made sense as I had been trained as a Sith, not a Jedi. For us it was all about conflict.

Finally I made my way to what I guess was the command and control centre of this place, there were plenty more damaged mining droids for me to fight through.

When I started swinging my sword once the Force returned to me, and this time the connection wasn't overwhelming, and it lasted longer than before. I guessed that it would take time, but that soon I would have the power again. Then I'd have relearn how to use my powers now they my relationship with the Force had changed for some reason. Hopefully that wouldn't take too long as might need my power back soon

That was something I couldn't afford to worry about right now as I found the sealed door to the brig. When I reached the door, I heard Kreia's voice in my head once more.

"Beyond this door someone yet lives... be mindful... his thoughts are... difficult to read... but you have nothing to fear from this one... and he may yet prove useful..."

Well she wasn't wrong. He would prove useful. Sadly he would also be rather annoying, but I needed his help so I opened the door.

(Line Break)

When the man came through the door, he was counting cards.

 _Switch the face of the +1/-1 card, the totals are nine-ten. Switch the face of the +2/-2 card, the total is eight-eleven, switch..._

He paused in front of the control panel, and soon had one hand resting lightly on the shut off switch for the cage.

"I need a way off this rock," he said.

His voice was tired but steady Atton noted.

"Can you help me with that, or should I leave you in there? It looks safe, at least" the man said.

"Sorry, sorry," Atton apologised as he stood stiffly, stretching as much as the cage's crackling barrier allowed. "It's been a while since I've seen anyone, not sure if your real or not"

The half naked man smiled, finding this humorous.

"So, can you help me or not?" he asked.

Atton nodded.

"I know the station's systems pretty well," he said.

 _Double the eight, pure Pazaak, shuffle and deal, switch the face of the +1/-2 card..._

"And if there's any ship docked on this rock I can fly it" Atton assured.

The force field died with a falling hum as the unknown man flipped a switch, and Atton stepped out of the cage. He was tired, thirsty, starving and his head ached with the weight of so much time whiled away on nonsense lists and parlour tricks, yet he'd not been this happy for a logn time.

"Guess I should've started with my name," he went on to say "Atton Rand."

He held out his hand, but the man didn't take it.

"I'm Gothic" he said.

Atton followed this Gothic into the command and control centre.

"This facility isn't a military installation," said Atton, "which means we may have a chance. I can reroute the emergency systems so we can get to the hangar. We grab a ship and then we fly out of here"

Gothic just nodded before leading the way to command centre.

"All right, here we are," said Atton, as he began to type "Now, this console is set on automatic hail; you may have heard it when you came in. The asteroid drift charts are constantly being updated, it sends out a transmission to incoming vessels so they don't get crushed into space dust. The hail warns them to keep their distance until orbital drift charts are transmitted, and then provides docking instructions to incoming ships, usually freighters".

Atton Rand's brow furrowed as he worked the terminal.

"The thing is, you can bounce that same transmission back to the comm here, and suddenly, you've got access to the communications system from the inside" he then added.

The console chimed and Atton grinned.

"Pure pazaak-the console's ours" he said "Now, all we need to do is re-activate the turbolifts, cancel the emergency lock-down… hey."

He blinked and examined the console closely

"What's wrong?" Gothic enquired.

"This system's been severed from the main hub," Atton said slowly, "after it was locked down remotely. You can't even reroute the system, it's been cut clean. Someone tried to lock down this whole level tight, and leave us here. Trapped".

Gothic turned to face him.

"Is there anything else we can do with this console?"

Atton put a worried hand to his mouth.

"I doubt it" he replied "All we have is communications back, for all the good trying to shout in a vacuum will do us".

Atton checked the comm channels anyone and found a beeping noise.

"That's an astromech droid. My astromech droid. Open the channel" Gothic ordered

Atton did just that.

"T3? Is that you?" Gothic asked.

A tentative chorus of beeps and whistles answered.

"I've got a job for you" Gothic told the droid " Listen we're trapped up on the administration can you unlock the turbolifts?".

There was a moment of silence, then the droid responded in the negative. The turbolifts were stopped at the dormitory level and fuel depot, and could only be unlocked manually from there.

"There must be emergency hatches-try to find one" Gothic instructed.

T3 beeped in the affirmative, cut the comm, and got to work.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Know that there was once a Darth Traya. And that she cast aside that role, was exiled, and found a new purpose. But there must always be a Darth Traya, one that holds the knowledge of betrayal. Who has been betrayed in their heart, and will betray in turn"_  
 _―Darth Traya (Kreia)_

Sith Gothic 2 – The Dark Lords

Part 2

I paced before the console, waiting for T3 to contact me. I badly desired a distraction from my thoughts right now, but the galaxy wasn't providing one. Which was good in some ways as I did have a lot to think about.

Things were muddled, I was trying to remember exactly how the Exile had gotten out of all this, but it was been so long ago since I'd played KOTOR 2, and while the memories were starting to return they would only be of limited help. Real life wasn't a video game, unexpected thing could happen.

Plus I didn't fully understand what was going on. I couldn't be sure that following the game was the right thing to do, and that lack of understanding annoyed me. I should be in control of the situation, but for some reason I wasn't operating at one hundred percent, it wasn't the drugs I'd be dosed with, it had to have something to do with my greatly weakened connection to the Force.

I didn't understand how that had happened. I wasn't a wound in the Force, and my physically injuries couldn't be the cause. Perhaps Keria had formed a Force Bond with me and was leeching my strength, or maybe she blocking me to see how I did without access to the galaxy wide energy field.

Atton had other things on his mind, judging by the look on his face.

"So, uh, how long have you been a Jedi? Must be tough, you know… no family, no friends" he was saying.

I was in no mood for meaningless small talk, and I also didn't understand why he thought I was light sider, not that I cared. I too much on my mind as it was.

"Don't call me a Jedi" I told him.

Atton raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to…"

A beep from the console cut him off, and l checked the display.

"Hey, what do you know-that little cargo cylinder came through" Rand said.

Something was wrong.

"It looks like it. But it's strange he didn't contact us on the comm" I commented.

Wasn't the droid suppose to be disabled, or something like that.

"If he got the turbolifts working, then we should have a clear run to the hangar," said Atton.

That would be nice, but life was rarely that simple.

"The turbolifts are locked down manually," I replied "I had him open an emergency hatch".

I was also ready on the move.

"Wait, wait!" called out Atton. "Don't tell me you're taking that hatch down into the mining tunnels?"

He shook his head.

"That explosion I heard came from below. There's probably nothing down there except superheated rock and collapsed blast tunnels. You'd be an idiot to go down there" he warned me.

True, but I had no other plan. I had to go with what I remembered from the game.

"Maybe, but it's the only way out" I replied.

Atton crossed his arms.

"You're either really brave or really crazy, or both" he remarked.

He then let his arms fall to his sides.

"All right. I'll try to monitor things from up here" Rand was now saying "Be careful, the only thing moving down there is likely to be mining droids".

Well those I could handle.

"Your concern is noted," I said as made to move again.

I didn't get very far.

"Wait," called out again Atton.

He opened a compartment next to one of the displays and took out a com-link.

"I'll keep the comm open. I may be able to guide you through the tunnels from up here". he told me as he passed me the device "Don't know if the signal will be clear if you get too deep, though".

Unlike Kriea he couldn't talk directly into my head so I would make use of the device.

(Line Break)

As it turned out the emergency hatch was near the security office. Inside was the emergency turbolift. I took the elevator down to what seemed to be the top level of the actual mine.

"Can you read me?" a voice wondered.

Atton's voice was somewhat distorted.

"Barely," I answered. "There's a lot of static".

Hopefully we wouldn't lose contact as I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing down here. Which made it seem silly to have come here, but I needed to do something.

"There's a lot of interference down there," Atton said, "probably caused by that explosion. Still, it looks like there's a route down to the Peragus fuel depot, if the passages haven't collapsed. That explosion knocked out most of the sensors".

There was a pause before he spoke further

"There should be an emergency crate in the next room" Rand informed me "And watch yourself down there, I'm picking up a lot of droid broadcasts in that area, but I can't pin them down".

Droids didn't worry me, well not the mining ones.

"I'll be careful, then," I replied "If you detect anything, call me".

"Will do," said Atton, "and be careful down there."

Slowly I moved ahead. As promised there was a plasteel cylinder up against the wall in the hallway ahead. I lifted the lid to find several smaller containers. The first held a safety harness with more pockets and pouches for equipment.

"Find the emergency supplies?" Atton asked.

Before I replied I took set of miners' coveralls and a pair of work boots

"Yes" I said "And it looks like there's some clothes in here".

I couldn't be sure, but it sounded as if Rand was chuckling.

"Good to hear it. No sense in you running around half-naked" he commented.

I kept digging in the supply cylinder.

"There's some gear in here, too: a harness, some kind of goggles, and a shield" I informed Rand.

All looked useful.

"Get that safety harness on," Atton advised "It has a transponder which should shut down any sonic mines near you. The survey gear is designed to help you see down there. It'll amplify ambient light and highlight powered equipment, like terminals or mines. The droids can see much better than you can in low light, so those should even the odds some. The mining energy shield will temporarily protect you against heat, if there's gas venting down there you'll need it".

Rand knew a lot about mining operations for some reason.

"Understood," I replied. "Anything else?".

There had been too much good news, something bad had to be happening.

"Uh, just one more thing," said Atton. "I've narrowed down some of the ID signals, and if the numbers are right, you're sharing those tunnels with a battalion of mining droids"

While the mining droids were terrible in combat, even a weak foe could overwhelm an enemy with sheer numbers.

"Okay" I said to Rand "I'm open to suggestions"

Shame I didn't have any grenades, or my lightsabre, I had no idea what happened to my weapons.

"There's got to be some kind of central controller down there" Rand was now saying "See if you can find a terminal by the main access shaft: that should let you control the droids, or at least shut them down".

Quickly I donned the harness and goggles, and then I got moving. The door at the end of the passage slid open to reveal the mining tunnel. Inside it was a mess: main power was out, and much of the emergency lighting had been damaged. I began walking down the uneven passage. It was uncomfortably warm; somewhere fuel was burning.

I was just rounding a corner when Atton spoke up again.

"Watch where you step" he warned "I'm picking up a lot of sonic mines down there. Don't run unless you have to, it makes them harder to spot. The harness should make them in-activate, but the heat might have damaged the electronics."

I walked slowly ahead, scanning the ground for charges. Then I saw a small disc shape in a pile of loose rock, with a small, blinking red light on top of it. There was no way around it, the tunnel was too narrow.

Knowing what to do I inched forward. The red light blinked green and I let out a sigh of relief when I realised that the harness was working. I retrieved the mine and deactivated it, after that I tucked it into a pouch on her belt and continued on down the tunnel.

The goggles helped me spot a second mine ahead. I was about to collect it when a mining droid stepped out from behind a corner. I took out the virbocutter tool and then noticed that the droid wasn't aiming for me. As I sprinted past the robot as it fired its lasers into the mine. The blast brought the ceiling down on the droid, blocking my way back.

I knew that mere mining droids shouldn't be smart enough to lay a trap like this, which meant something smarter was controlling them, that HK droid no doubt. I also suspected the the HK droid was going to try to collect the bounty of Jedi by handing me over to the Exchange even though I was a Sith. I imagined that the droid like most others didn't see the Sith as anything other than Jedi who had gone dark, but that really wasn't the case.

Then I continued on. The tunnel opened to a small room, lit by glowing gas that was being held back by some sort of field. Another body lay in a nearby pool of light. The dead miner had stood and fought, and five droids had fallen before the rest killed him.

Carefully I retrieved the mining laser he'd been using as mine had run out of charge. They weren't powerful weapons, but it was better that only having a fancy cutting tool to defend myself with.

Next I peeked around another corner to find four droids waiting in another room. One was placing a mine. Also there was a small sensor ball floating around above them. Once I'd taken in the scene I took careful aim and fired, not at the droids but at the mine. The blast wrecked three droids and blew both arms off the fourth.

As I watch I saw the sensor ball swoop down and lift one of the broken arms with a tractor beam. It swung and reattached it to the droid with a small welding beam. The droid began shooting as the drone began to reattach the second laser.

I cursed and fired at the drone, but missed the tiny target, normally when in combat I let the Force flow through me, and it enhanced my fighting skills, but right now I couldn't do that so I was forced to take cover as the mining droid returned fire.

A moment later I swung out from behind the corner and blew a limb off the droid. The drone swooped down and began lifting the leg to repair it, and more importantly it stopped moving. This allowed me to shoot the ball out of the air, then finished off the mining droid. Once all that was done I moved past the wreckage.

"Hey, watch out!" Atton called out over the comm. "That explosion has super-heated the tunnels ahead; those hot gases'll cook the skin off your bones. Remember that you've got that mining energy shield. Switch it on-it should protect you against the heat if you move quickly enough".

I stepped up to the edge of the hot zone and then activated the armband. It came on with a hum and a red energy field wrapped itself around me. I wondered why I'd not seen like shields like these before, perhaps they were new. Energy shields weren't knew, but this model seemed different than what I'd seen before.

Next I ran into the steam. The shield unit began to whine as it absorbed the brutal heat that was all around me.

"You're getting close to something big," Atton informed me, once I had passed through the steam "I think it's the main ventilation shaft. The central droid controller should be somewhere nearby. Keep an eye out for it, and watch yourself, I'm picking up a lot of droids".

Once Rand was done talking I looked around. The room was the size of a hangar bay. The lights were still on here so I was able see a walkway that crossed the gap, and there was a computer terminal on a platform in the centre.

At least a dozen droids and several repair drones were here but they were trapped behind force fields. However should those fields come down when I was on the walkway I'd be exposed.

Soon I headed for the console and began working. I pulled up a map and found my exit. The lift to the fuel depot was down a corridor in one corner of the room. The containment fields were blocking the route, but shutting them down would release the droids.

Thinking fast I checked the droid control system. The droids were programmed to 'mine' any organics in the facility. I wasn't great with computers, but it wasn't hard to remove that order and put them back to work, doing whatever it was they normally did.

However when I lowered the force fields the droids immediately attacked. I was forced to hunker down behind the console and return fire. I kept shooting, taking out several droids and drones. The droids cleverly, too cleverly for mere robots, laid sonic mines at either end of the walkway. Lucky for me I was able to shot the mines, taking out two droids who'd been placing them, mining lasers didn't have much power in them but they were highly accurate.

Despite my shooting success more droids were incoming, and I found myself surrounded. For a moment I actually feared for my life and I used that fear to channel the dark side, it was pitiful compared to what I was used to, but it was enough to let me put on a burst of speed as I headed for the exit. Something exploded, I rolled, then got up running and headed right for the turbolift.

"Hey, I'm picking up some strange readings." Atton told me over the comm "What are you doing down there?"

I wasn't actually sure. I'd just been trying to get out of this hell-hole.

"The containment fields in the mining tunnels are shutting down," said Atton worriedly. "You need to get out of there before they vent fuel to the surface of the asteroid through the tunnels!"

I swore for the third time today.

"How much time do I have?" I wished to know.

Thankfully I wasn't far from the turbolift.

"I might be able to keep it contained until you get the turbolift, but not much longer," Atton answered. "You're almost to the lift, move fast and you'll make it"

Move fast was what I did.

(Line Break)

I found nothing of interest in whatever part of the mining colony I was current in until I saw a red-haired man lay dead on the floor, and more familiar sight. The droid looked just like HK-47, but it was not that droid, my robot assassin had been on the Ebon Hawk, no doubt it had been badly damaged otherwise it would have made an effort to recover me by now.

"Greeting: It is a pleasure to see you alive, Master, providing my receptors are not off-focus. How may I be of assistance?" it said.

Well it could shoot itself in the head, that would be helpful.

"I'm not your master" I told the droid.

At this point I decided to ask some questions, I was still unclear on matters, and while the droid would lie about certain things it might be truthful when on other subjects.

"With the unexpected termination of my previous Master, you are the only organic which I may now serve."

By 'unexpected termination' I'm sure it meant 'horrible murder'.

"Who was your previous Master?" I asked.

"Answer: the captain of the Harbinger, Master," said the droid. "I was in transit to Telos to facilitate communications and terminate hostilities. However, we did not arrive at our intended destination".

We? When I had been on board the Harbinger. Had my ship been tractored on board after being attacked? If so how had I gotten back on board the Ebon Hawk? This was all so confusing.

"All right, so what happened once I got here?" I asked next.

If I remembered right this droid was the key to getting into the dormitory which I needed to access for some sort of code.

"Answer: the miners debated what to do with you as you lay unconscious in the medical bay," said the droid. "One group seemed intent on selling you as property. The other group opposed this".

Which meant Meetra must have already been dead when we arrived since they hadn't considered selling her, but what had she been doing on Harbinger? Had I sought her out?

Also I had to wonder why the miners had thought I was a Jedi, I didn't dress like one. Perhaps this HK droid had lied to the miners as part of its plans.

"Then what happened?" I wondered.

"Recitation: Three standard hours after the division between the miners became apparent, accidents began to occur throughout the facility. A result of improper maintenance, I believe. The mining droid behaviour cores began to suffer from binary decay… crude models are prone to such failures, resulting in murderous rampages. At about the same time, several explosions occurred in gas pockets down in the mines. The miners sought shelter in the dormitory section, a fatal mistake".

This all seemed familiar. Old memories stirred inside my mind.

"Why was that a mistake?" I asked.

Well I knew why I just wanted to keep the machine talking.

"Explanation: The blast damaged sections of the facility's ventilation system, causing a slow, lethal buildup of toxic fumes in the dormitory level" the droid said.

I needed to get in there, to see if there was any way to end the lock down. The problem was that the lift connecting the dormitory to the administration level was locked down from the dormitory end.

"Is there any way to reach them?" was my next question.

The droid soon told me.

"Theory: You could walk across the surface of the asteroid to the dormitory airlock," the droid said slowly, "but such a route would be extremely hazardous, and I do not wish to see you damaged".

Neither would I.

"Statement: Master, I cannot devise a way to enter the dormitory," replied the HK. "The console governing the droid maintenance area, and the airlock, is protected by a voice-lock protocol"

The droid pointed to the dead man.

"Musing: In the last days of his life, the maintenance officer was quite careful about voice protocols. Conjecture: I suspect that once he realised that something was wrong in the facility, he voice-locked the droid bay functions. The console code is 'Maintenance control: voice print ID: R1-B5,' but unless the maintenance officer speaks the code, it is useless" HK informed.

For the forth time today I swore

"All right, wait here" I instructed the robot.

Now I needed to find that voice recorder thingy. Sadly that would be the easy part.

(Line Break)

A metal walkway led from the airlock across the face of the asteroid, and a z shaped ramp led up to the administration level; the walkway even crossed in front of the control room observation window and then another ramp led back down to the dormitory airlock, if I remembered correctly.

From the outside I could see the jumble of pipework and wires that ran across the asteroid surface next to the walkway. I also spotted the station docking arm that jutted out into the blackness of space.

In the distance asteroids of different shapes and sizes tumbled about in the nothingness that was space, but I ignored those and focused on where my feet were going. I didn't like being in the airless void, it was impossible to forget that all that stood between myself and horrible death was the suit I wore. One rip and I was done for.

My feet clanked down with each step as the magnetic boots worked to keep me on the walkway. As I began the climb up the ramp, there was a flash of light and a jet of flame burst out of a large pipe. Thankfully I avoided being scorched, by timing how long it was between bursts of flame, and then moving past the pipe during the gap.

"It's about time," said Atton brusquely over the comm "I lost your signal after you left the mining tunnels. Now you're coming in clear".

He paused a moment.

"Except I'm picking you up on the exterior of the facility" he then added "on the asteroid's surface. That can't be right".

Normally he'd be right,

"I'm right outside the observation window" I told him.

While it was silly I couldn't help waving as Atton looked up from the console.

"What are you doing out there?" Rand wished to know.

A good question.

"I need to reach the dormitory section," I answered, "and this is the only way to get there".

Well the only way I knew about.

"You're crazy," Atton said "You need to get out of there, quick".

Indeed I could be crazy, it would explain a lot about my recent actions and how my life was going.

"What little is left of the facility's venting systems have gone active" he informed me "most likely from the explosions in the mining tunnels. They're venting Peragus fuel deposits into space through the exterior vents-right in your path!"

So that's what that flame jet was.

"Can't you shut them down?" I wondered.

No doubt it wouldn't be that simple

"I can't," Atton told me "I'm locked out of the main systems here. I can monitor the situation, but I can't shut it down".

Atton frowned and typed a command into the terminal.

"The vents look like they've been purposely rerouted to vent the gases to the exterior, and only in the last few minutes. It's almost as if…"

He trailed off as the console started beeping.

"Oh, what now?" he wondered "I don't believe this-there's a ship coming in, sending a docking code."

Atton shook his head.

"I have a bad feeling about this" he said.

It first became visible as a moving point of light. Over time the dot grew into the familiar shape of a Hammerhead-class cruiser with Republic markings. I watched as the ship banked slightly to avoid an asteroid. It passed by the catwalk no more than fifty meters away. Soon the ship came to a stop and moved in on thrusters, docking to the station's arm. Aft, its fuel pipe extended and hooked in to the station's refuelling port.

"Looks like we've got company" I said.

The Sith had come.


	3. Chapter 3

_"The past is a ghost that haunts us. Ghosts must be banished. Lingering on the past is weakness" - Lord Vader_

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 3**

Quickly I ducked behind the door frame as two automated fire extinguishers popped up out of the floor. They sprayed the doorway area with what I guessed to be something that I really didn't want touching me. The energy they fired made the room feel cold, some sort of freeze ray I guessed.

As I didn't dare try to run past the deadly fire extinguishers, from cover I blasted them with my laser, hitting each several times to make sure they were reduced to scrap metal.

Then I heard the crawler droids, and I got into cover. A single mining droid came into view. I dropped it with few well aimed shots without exposing myself to fire, however soon I could hear more coming, along with the clanking footsteps of those big bipeds. They were actually a threat. Two of them had nearly done me in the way to the airlock.

Back when I'd been at full power I'd been able to battle the likes of Malak and Revan, now I was hiding from simple droids. It made me feel shame, but not so much that I wasn't able to focus on the task at hand.

Since I was lacking Force Powers I had to be creative. I didn't have any grenades, however I did have a couple of sonic mines, which as it turned out could be thrown like Frisbees, alas they didn't do that much damage to the biped droids.

Worse they attracted more attention. Five crawlers scuttled into the room and began firing. I shot back and dropped two of the droids in short order, but the downside to this was that my mining laser was already running low. It wasn't meant to be used at its highest setting.

The remaining crawlers kept up the fire as the bipeds joined the fight. One of the big droids approached the corner I was hiding behind while the other hung back. If it got much closer it could kill me with one of the tools it had in place of a hand.

It took all the Force power I could draw on, but a small bolt of blue lightning leapt from my fingers to hit the droid in the chest. Not that long ago the lightening would have been like a storm, my current performance was pathetic.

Still it worked, the big droid fell and soon the second biped came at me, intent on ending things. But I stopped that by driving my virbocutter into its body, either by the will of the Force, or by dumb luck I'd found a weak spot.

At this point I was just grateful that the non-biped droids were incapable of harming me without having vastly superior numbers. I destroyed them in short order.

Once I moved on I found that the passage curved slightly as if it followed the shape of the asteroid, and soon I found the entrance to the dormitory proper. It was sealed, so I moved to a console across the hallway.

Quickly I brought up a camera feed of the dormitory. Everyone was dead, no surprise there, the rooms were filled with toxic gas. Because of this I put on the high tech gas mask that I'd found in the workshop along with the recorder I'd use to get the pass code from the HK droid

I spent the next ten minutes looting the dormitory, without my powers I needed more supplies. I found several data cards with log entries which shed some light on what had happened while I'd been in the kolto tank.

The mine administrator was pretty certain that a small group led by a miner named Coorta were responsible for the sabotage. The mine foreman had recorded Coorta and the maintenance officer plotting to sell me to the Exchange, even though I wasn't a Jedi. The Ebon Hawk, which had been repaired by maintenance drones, would serve as the getaway ship.

Coorta, or the HK droid, had killed the foreman before he could alert anyone, and the explosions had occurred moments later. The mine administrator had been trying to override the lock-down when the gas had killed everyone in the dormitory.

From what I remembered of the game, at this point I just needed to get back to the administration level, collect Atton and Kreia, and get onto the cruiser. We couldn't fly it, but we could get to the other part of the mining colony by going through the ship, enter the hangar, and take the Ebon Hawk away from here.

Next I headed for the mess hall and the turbolift back to administration. I found Coorta and his crew were dead on the floor; all three had been shot more than once.

The turbolift was locked; so checked the console and found a security hologram of what had happened. This got me the code I needed to open the doors, and not long after that I left the dorms.

(Line Break)

"I have felt a disturbance" Kreia said to me as soon as the lift's doors opened "Our enemy is here; we must leave at once"

While I didn't trust this old woman I did need her, if I was going to defeat the other Dark Lords I would need more training. Also if this bitch had stripped me of my powers after forming a Force Bond I couldn't know for sure if killing her would restore them I could end up killing myself. So for now I needed her alive. Once I had no further use for her, then I'd kill her. Which would be after I killed the other two Dark Lords, which would make the only Sith Master within known space.

"Then let's go" I replied.

I exited the turbolift.

"We need to make our way to the docking area on this level," said Kreia, "I fear the airlock has already opened, and if so, we must be on our guard. If we cannot reach the Ebon Hawk, then we must find a way to escape on the ship that has docked here".

Together we ran through the corridors to the control room. Upon hearing our footsteps Atton turned, and then did a double-take when he saw Kreia.

"What in space is going on? Who's this? Another Jedi? What, did you guys suddenly start breeding when I wasn't looking?" he asked.

There were no Jedi here, only Sith, although to be fair most people didn't see any difference. They just saw bad Jedi and less bad Jedi.

"We have to leave" I insisted "Now"

"Uh… all right," said Atton, nonplussed. "I'm guessing that Republic ship that just docked isn't carrying friends of yours".

Kreia made a disapproving noise.

"I hope your talent for understatement is offset by your skill with a blaster" she said "If not, then I fear our time together will be short indeed".

Atton's grunt was equally disapproving.

"Listen even if you two aren't big friends of the Republic, that warship's the only way off this station" Rand was saying as we moved towards the airlock "Good thing we have a clear run to the shi…"

Actually we didn't.

"Threat: Master, perhaps I did not enunciate clearly the last time we spoke" said the HK droid who was between us and the exit. "I suggested that you should shut down, stay put, and wait for rescue".

We didn't have time for this so I opened fire and a heartbeat later I was finding cover behind computer banks.

"Distract him for me!" I shouted out.

Atton did just that by taking pot shots at the assassin droid while I charged up the most powerful bolt of lightning I could manage, which was enough to fry the droids circuits.

After that I led the way to the docking arm and onto the Harbinger.

(Line Break)

Within the cruiser, the corridor silent and empty. The ship seemed to be operating on backup power, and I had a sense of being watched, although that might have something to do with the fact that I knew there were killers hidden by stealth tech somewhere nearby.

"Something is wrong" Kreia told us "I sense no one on board".

Neither could I, but my Force Powers were greatly reduced so that didn't mean much.

"You sense no one on board?" asked Atton scornfully. "Sense any assassin droids creeping up behind us like last time?"

Kreia shook her head.

"Everyone here has been slain" she pointed out "yet there are few signs of battle, no carbon scoring, no blaster fire. This place has been hit by assassins of a different sort".

The light levels were low, but I couldn't see any blood stains, or bodies for that matter, someone had cleaned up.

"Then what are we doing on this ship?" Rand quested "We were better off in the facility!"

Atton was getting agitated. I didn't need the Force to sense it.

"You two are supposed to be Jedi?" Atton was now saying "You two are the worst Jedi I've ever met!".

I turned to face him.

"There are no Jedi here" I told him.

This led to him muttering under his breath.

"We can reach the hangar by getting to the engine room on this ship, then exiting through the fuel pipe" I told the group.

Or at least that was what I recalled, really this was all still a bit confusing for me. I still couldn't put all the pieces together and make sense of things.

"Look, I don't mean to cast another shadow on this," said Atton, while shaking his head, "but even if you could reach the ship you came in on, it wouldn't matter. You'll need the orbital drift charts to clear the Peragus asteroid field, unless you want a really short trip".

Atton stroked his chin.

"Normally, you'd download the charts from the docking computer on the station, but the systems were locked up" he went on to say.

The solution seemed simple to me.

"Let's head to the bridge and get the drift charts" I said "This ship has to have them, and we can download them from their navi-computer or whatever".

While I could fly the Ebon Hawk, I'd never learned the proper names for the equipment that made it work. Much like how many people on my world only had a basic understanding of how their cars worked. You'd think that my lack of knowledge would make it impossible to fly my ship yet I could do it.

I headed for the bridge with the others following. The door slid open to reveal a grim sight. More than a dozen of the crew were dead, including the captain. They were all at their posts, and none were armed. The crew had been taken completely by surprise, and unlike in other parts of the ship the mess hadn't been cleaned up. Nasty.

Still gruesome or not that didn't stop me from downloading the needed charts, I had no intention of staying here. I also downloaded a map of the ship so that it could look like I knew where was going.

"Let's get to the engine room" I then said "It's on the lower deck; the turbolift is beyond the crew quarters"

The three of us left the bridge, heading aft through offices, briefing rooms and such for the ship's command staff. I was heading past the table of what I assumed to be the conference room when I thought I saw movement in the corner of my eye.

"I feel it too," said Kreia, "we are not alone."

My weapon was moving into place as a masked figure appeared, dressed all in black with red-coloured goggles. He swung some sort of quarterstaff at my head, but I deflected the strike with my virbocutter and then with my free hand I lashed out with the Force, creating a crude Force Push, which rammed the assassin into the wall. Before he recovered I drove the vibro tool between the man's helmet and body suit.

These were Sith assassins from what I knew they preferred to ambush their intended prey from the shadows rather than engaging them in open combat. Almost always working solo or in small groups, they utilised Stealth field generators and the rare art of Force camouflage to aid their surprise attacks.

While some elite assassins fought with lightsabers, the majority utilized less remarkable melee weapons, such as force pikes. These stealthy warriors were also unusual in that they drew their power from the Force presence of their prey. The stronger their targets were in the Force, the stronger the hunters became, which was my crude Force Push had been so effective, right now my weakness was a strength.

During the Jedi Civil War, the assassins' primary purpose was to kill or capture Jedi. Upon successfully incapacitating a Jedi, the captive would be tortured until they fell to the dark side or died by the hands of elite Sith operatives trained in the art of torture. Using this method of capture and conversion, the ranks of the Sith swelled even as the number of Jedi decreased.

These assassins weren't actually trying to kill me, they wanted to capture me for their master, hence why they were using Force Pikes rather than more lethal weapons.

"Watch it," cried out Atton, "there's more!"

Three more attackers were coming at us from both behind and ahead. Atton fired and dropped one as Kreia used a blade she'd gotten from somewhere to battle another. The enemy fighting me was defeated by another crude Force push that sent him crashing to the floor. I finished off too by driving my tool into a vulnerable part.

Once that was done I couldn't remain standing anymore. I used too much power too quickly, and without being able to call upon the Force like I use to be able to I couldn't use it to support myself.

"There have to be more than these to take down a ship this size" Atton said as reached down and helped me up.

After dropping the virbotool and picking up a Force Pike we moved on. Corridor we were going down led past the armoury and med bay, which were both located at back of the ship. Unfortunately, the armoury was magnetically sealed, which was a damn shame because some repeating blaster would come in real handy about now. Without my lightsabre the only thing that could open a magnetically sealed door were explosives, which would be locked up in the armour.

As we entered the medical bay I noticed that it was well-lit even though the rest of the ship was on emergency power. The two long walls were lined with kolto tanks; a special tank in the centre of the room allowed for surgery while a subject was still immersed. The surgical tank was shattered; it looked as if something had broken out from inside. I knew who had done that.

However before I could do more than look around more assassins attacked. The first pair came at me and while calling upon the Force, something that was getting easier, I kicked one backwards and focused on the other. I parried a blow downward and then stabbed my attacker in the chest with my new weapon.

By the time the other assassin had gotten back onto his feat I was ready to attack, he parried a slash at his head, but I lashed out with the Force sending him into the wall. He was easy to finish off after that.

The assassins were use to fighting Jedi, and they weren't that well trained. Plus they were handicapped by the fact that they couldn't use lethal force. Also they lacked proper team work, if they'd been under my command I'd have fired the lot of them.

(Line Break)

The lift opened, and the three of us stepped out into the Harbinger's engine deck. The whole deck was dark, with the emergency glow panels providing the only light. The corridors were being used as extra storage; crates of machine parts and other supplies were scattered about here and there

"I have a bad feeling about this" Rand commented.

Atton drew his laser and looked around warily.

"Trust me, when it comes to staying alive, I'm rarely wrong about these things" he then said.

It was faint, but I could feel it, someone who was strong in the darkside was nearby, a Dark Lord. It was Darth Sion, the Lord of Pain, a Sith Lord who had fought for Exar Kun's Sith Empire until the day he was struck down. Rather than die, though, Sion found that by calling on his pain, anger, and hatred, he could rise from certain death and achieve immortality, at the cost of all-consuming agony. With a body fractured and decomposing, but held together by the dark side of the Force.

From what I'd read about him I knew that Sion allied himself with the next Sith Empire to arise in the galaxy, that of Darth Revan and Darth Malak. When they fell Sion soon found new purpose with Darth Traya and Darth Nihilus, a pair of Sith Lords who together with Sion formed the Sith Triumvirate, a group dedicated to eliminating the Jedi.

In their headquarters on Malachor V, Sion served as Traya's disciple. Eventually, frustrated with her teachings, he and Nihilus stripped her of the Force and cast her out. The two ruling Sith Lords went on to reunite most of the surviving Sith remnants and continue their war on the Jedi, with great success.

"This battle is mine alone. I am not defenceless" Kreia said

She turned to face me.

"He cannot kill what he cannot see, and power has blinded him long ago. Run. I shall be along shortly" she ordered

The door shut and sealed behind here, which left Atton and I to head into the engine room. Within I found a console and opened the propulsion systems inspection hatches. I moved to the hatch, waving for Atton to follow, however he hung back, shaking his head.

"Tell me you're joking. We're not going to cross back into the Peragus facility through the fuel line, that's crazy!" he said.

Well it was either this or wait to for the Dark Lord to catch up to us, and while I could handle a few of his minions I couldn't face their master. Not in my weakened state.

"It's the only way to get around the sealed door and into the hangar where the Ebon Hawk is" I told Rand "but feel free to stay here and went for that Sith Lord to come after us, stepping over your corpse might slow him down".

Suddenly going through the pipe didn't seem like such a bad choice.

"Alright," said Atton, "but I know I'm going to regret this".

He soon followed me back into the mining colony.

(Line Break)

Even though I'd been expecting it I wasn't prepared for the burning hot pain that made me feel it was as if it was my hand hat had been chopped off.

"What's wrong? Are you all right?" I heard Atton ask in concern.

I couldn't even answer him.

"Dammit, hold on," said Atton, as he helped me to my feet. "It's only a little further. Don't give up on me now!"

Thankfully the pain cleared, and I was soon able to stand up on my own.

"What happened to you?" asked Atton.

This time I could answer.

"Kreia" I said "I think she just lost a hand, but don't worry she will catch up to us".

Atton didn't worry about Kreia, and the only reason I did was because if she died she might take me with her.

(Line Break)

"It's a utility droid," said Atton, as we found my robot "Looks like it's been hit with an ion charge and just dumped here".

I reached down and powered the droid on by pressing its switch. T3 rotated his dome from side to side and emitted a series of bewildered honks.

"Come on, we have to hurry" I said to the robot "We can fix you up later".

Soon we left the fuel line and found ourselves in the lower level of the fuel depot, on the far side of the containment fields that would prevented from coming here directly from the administration level. .

One of the biped mining droids stepped out from behind a corner. Atton coolly drew his laser and fired. The bolt splashed harmlessly against the droid's shield. Atton cursed and ducked back into the pipe as a second biped followed the first. I wisely joined him.

Then I watched as T3 rolled forward. He fired his blasters and shock arm simultaneously, crippling one of the droids. Atton popped out and finished off the damaged biped. Meanwhile I blasted the other with as such Force Lightening as I could muster.

After that I found the ramp to the upper level, and activated the manual shutdown for the containment field. Then we ran along the catwalk and through the door into the hangar control room.

Atton raced to the hangar door. He tried to activate the door control, then slammed his fist in frustration.

"This door's magnetically sealed. I can't believe this! The ship's right out there, and we can't get to it" he complained.

T3 rolled forward and beeped enthusiastically.

"Huh?" asked Atton, "what is that piece of junk saying?".

I didn't need to guess.

"He says he can open the door" I explained.

I doubted I could override a lock-down, but I was no slicer.

"All right, well, if he can get the door open, then don't let me stop him" Atton said.

T3 honked and rolled up to the console. Moments later the door was open.

"Thank you" I said as headed into the hanger bay.

Four bipeds and a half-dozen crawlers were gathered along the final hallway, blocking our path. I dug deep, drawing on the Force as best I could, and rushed the droids in an impossibly fast sprint, tearing into the bipeds. With my Force Pike I slashed this way and that, taking the droids apart as quickly as I could. Normally this would be child's play for me, but by the end I was winded and barely able to stand.

Thankfully there was no more danger between the Ebon Hawk and us, no Sith troopers or assassins, which made sense as only a small number of them would have been able to hide on a Republic cruiser even with invisibility.

Atton raced to the cockpit while I waited for Kreia. It was tempting to leave without her, but for now I needed her, and like any good darksider I kept my allies alive for as long as I needed them.

"There is no time, we must leave" the sith bitch said when she caught up

I spoke to Rand via the comm as I closed up the ship.

"Ramp is sealed-take off" I ordered.

Atton lifted the freighter off. While I couldn't see it I felt us accelerate as we left the bay and zoomed away from the station.

"Hold on!" called out Atton as I made my way to the cockpit. "This is going to get a little rocky."

There was no time to debate about blowing up the mining colony ourselves, as things started to exploded anyway. Thankfully we flew clear and jumped to hyperspace before any exploding rocks could destroy us.

(Line Break)

Atton turned around to face Kreia and myself.

"Well, now that we just killed a planet, maybe one of you can tell me what's going on" he requested "Because between assassin droids, a Sith Lord that looks like he sleeps with vibroblades, and being target practice for a Republic warship, I was better off in my cell".

Kreia sighed.

"The Republic warship was the Harbinger. It was seized on its way to Telos by the Sith" she explained, while her head was turned to face me "They were looking for the Jedi who body was laying in the morgue when we met".

That much I knew.

"Many roads lead to Telos, including ours" she then added.

Atton snorted.

"Not like we have much of a choice, the Peragus astrogation charts being what they are" he remarked.

It seemed that Fate, the Will of the Force, or whatever would ensure that we would end up following the Exile's journey. There was no sense fighting it.

"So why were these Sith bothering me?" I asked "The Jedi Exile is dead, couldn't they go bother someone else".

I knew the answer, I shouldn't have bothered saying it.

"With the Jedi defeated you are the only threat to them" the sith bitch said "A Dark Lord can have no rivals".

Not that I was much of a rival right now.

"We can not hope to triumph against them alone," Kreia said thoughtfully. "To stop them, you will need weapons, allies, and, a teacher. In the end, I fear it may not be enough".

However if I just ran away and hid Darth Nihilus, the Lord of Hunger would sooner or later find me so that he could consume my life force or whatever. And Sion would hunt me to remove a threat.

"We have spoken long enough, and my wound pains me. If you have other questions, find me in the crew quarters" the sith bitch said.

She turned to leave.

"Hey, don't stop your long, boring rants on my account," Atton quipped, "I was just getting sleepy-eyed"

Kreia marched out of the cockpit.

"Also, in private, we will be mercifully free from the opinions of imbeciles and fools" she said.

Atton turned to face me

"Look, uh, not like I care or anything, but you might want to go check on our passenger-especially with that hand of hers".

I so didn't care.

"Can you handle things up here?" I asked "I need to get some rest".

And I needed to eat I couldn't remember when I'd had my last meal.

"We're on autopilot until we hit Telos," said Atton. "Until then, the droid could fly this thing".

T3 beeped, no doubt saying that indeed he could.

(Line Break)

After getting a few hours sleep and having gotten something to eat I checked the ships logs to find out what happened to me before I'd woken up in that sickbay.

Once I'd done that I found Kreia kneeling in the middle of the port dormitory, meditating. She stood up when the I walked in.

"Have you come for more answers? There is little left to give" she said.

Well there was one thing we needed to go over

"When you lost your hand, I felt it, too" I said.

"That does not surprise me-any more than you hearing my thoughts when we were apart," the sith bitch replied. "The pain, however, was unexpected; if I could, I would have shielded you from it"

She ran her hand along her stump

"It seems the Force flows easily between us," said Kreia. "Now that we know, I suspect our minds are prepared enough to shield each other from the pain"

This was very unlike the Force Bond I'd shared with Bastilia, but I tried not to think about that or her, the past was best left in the past.

"Any idea why I lost my connection to the Force?" I asked "I'm starting to recover my powers, but its a fraction of what I used to have".

Something must have happened. I'd checked the ship's logs, and according them the Ebon Hawk had been attacked. I'd sent out a distress call, which the Harbinger had answered. Later when the Sith had attacked the Harbinger I'd fled that ship's hanger bay in the Ebon Hawk, with the Jedi Exile and Kreia.

Only for some reason I didn't remember this, someone, Kreia mostly likely had messed with my head. Also at some point I'd lost most of powers, had Kreia done that? She had been stripped of her powers by her former students so she might be leeching off me to restore them.

"What do you believe?" asked Kreia "That you suddenly lost your connection with the Force without reason?".

Well I couldn't exactly come out and accuse her, I had to let the sith bitch think she had me fooled, that she was in control. It was clear to me that she wanted to use me as a weapon against her former students, and since they wanted me dead I was okay with killing them. Besides she could teach me things.

"Can my connection to the Force be healed?" I asked.

Kreia stroked her stump with her hand as she thought.

"I may be able to teach you, train you to feel the Force again" she offered.

The old woman smiled strangely. I didn't understand what it meant.

"For now I would see to that fool in the cockpit, and remind him of our destination. I would not want him attempting to veer us away from Telos" Kreia advised.

He could handle it.

"Rand is not a fool," I told the sith bitch "that's just what he wants us to think".

I knew that trick I was using it on Kreia right now, letting her think I knew far less about what was going on than I actually did.

"He is a fool and an imbecile; his potential lies downwards, not up" Kreia replied, her voice thick with contempt and suspicion. "Watch that one. His thoughts are slippery. I do not trust him, and nor should you. Such a man serves himself first, and his 'allies' second".

Since there was nothing else to say I turned and headed back to the cockpit. Atton heard me walk in and turned in his seat.

"How's our passenger? She still aging?" he asked.

I wasn't sure how to answer that question.

"She seems fine, she just needs some rest" was what I said on the matter

I didn't think that anything would make Kriea better, she was evil. Not that I should be judging, but there was a difference between being dark and being evil.

"Well, she sure could use it," Atton commented "It might do wonders for her mood, too. She's lucky she's a Jedi, or someone would've killed her years ago".

I figured they'd been trying, but that she had killed them.

"She's not a Jedi, at least not anymore" I told Rand.

I wasn't sure that she could be called a Sith either.

"Then she must be royalty," said Atton derisively, "because she's got to be Queen of the Galaxy to bark out orders like that. Or maybe she's senile".

I had no doubt that she was insane, but it was a special sort of insanity.

"Are we still on course for Telos?" I asked, desiring to change the subject.

"Like we have a choice?" Atton replied with a snort. "It's the only place Peragus had logged in their astrogation charts. The navicomputer on this ship has been fried, so we'll have to get charts from the ports we pass through."

Must have been damaged when the Hawk was crippled by the Sith.

"If you thought Peragus was dead, then Telos is a dying world they're trying to breathe back to life" Rand was now saying.

No words were spoken for a while.

"So… what happened?" asked Atton "I thought a Jedi was supposed to be married to their lightsaber. Guess I heard wrong. Were you a single hilt or one of those double-bladed types? I heard some Jedi like the double-bladed when they go all Sith".

At the heart of every lightsaber was a set of crystals that resonated to produce the powerful blade. While the most common crystals used in the process were from the Adega system, Ilum, and Dantooine (in the so-called Crystal Cave) Jedi and Sith used a variety of crystals to produce various colours, effects and unique abilities.

Some crystals could even enhance the Force powers of a particular user. Other gems, such as coloured crystals or diamonds, were used exclusively for the prismatic effects. However not all lightsaber crystals were actually crystals at all.

There were plenty of exceptions where a Jedi or Sith would use a different material or substance in place of a crystal, such as physical remains, shards of glass, and even special micro machinery.

"My lightsabre was a single hilt with a kyrpt dragon pearl as its focus crystal" I explained "I used a different crystal as well to change the blades colour, you don't have to to use a red synthetic crystal just because you're a Sith".

Atton didn't turn around to look at me.

"So you're a Sith" he said, sounding casual "How about that".

At this point I decided to leave. I wanted to find my armour, and to see which of my weapons were still on board. Hopefully no from the mining colony or the Harbinger one had found the smuggling compartments.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Evil is a word used by the ignorant and the weak. The dark side is about survival. It's about unleashing your inner power. It glorifies the strength of the individual."_

 _― Darth Zannah_

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 4**

From the cockpit I watched as Atton skillfully guided the freighter into the docking bay and set it down. He was a fine pilot, far more skilled than myself and most of the time I could use the Force to guide my actions.

Before leaving the ship I made sure that my body armour, which was modelled after a set once wore by Darth Bandon, who like me had once served as Darth Malak's Shadow Hand, a title given to the second-in-command of the Sith Master and as a term equivalent to an apprentice.

Over that I wore a long coat made of Armorweave which was a type of armoured cloth material capable of dissipating blaster bolts, and had at least limited resistance to lightsaber attacks. Bounty hunters, mercenaries, and the counts of Serenno traditionally wore capes and jackets made out of armorweave.

At my side hung a blaster, it was nothing special, and as I ever I had dagger tucked away on my person. Since my Force Powers were still weak it mattered more than ever that I had other ways of protecting myself.

I was first down the ramp with the others close behind as soon as we left the ship a woman called out to us over some sort of PA loudspeaker.

"Attention" said the voice "this is Citadel Station Bay Control. Please remain where you are. Lieutenant Dol Grenn will arrive shortly to meet with you. That is all"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Atton glance worriedly up at the control booth.

"I don't like the sound of that" he remarked "If they think we caused the explosion… Uh oh."

He shifted nervously as four armed police in navy, white, and gold uniforms entered the docking bay.

"Here comes the welcoming party" he said "They may not know what happened, so don't blow it".

The lead officer was a middle-aged man, his hair was starting to turn grey at the temples and he had the look of man who seen more than his fair share of horrors. I'd seen those eyes in many a solider over the years. Some of whom I had killed.

"I'm Lieutenant Grenn, Telos Security Force" he introduced "I'm under orders to take you into custody in regards to the destruction of the Peragus Mining Facility"

No surprises here.

"Are we under arrest?" I asked.

While I was wearing my armour, and was now armed with a proper blaster pistol I had no intention of fighting anyone. My lightsabre, which I had found on board my ship, was badly damaged, and I needed special parts in order to repair it. Hopefully the Handmaiden wouldn't steal the Ebon Hawk since the Jedi Exile wasn't part of the crew. But if she did I knew where she'd take it.

"You haven't been formally charged," said Grenn, "but you will be placed under house arrest pending the results of our investigation. Due to the nature of the investigation, I have no specific timetable to offer you. In the meantime, your ship and any droids will have to be given over for safekeeping"

T3 hummed nervously and backed up slightly, his attention gotten. Grenn looked down at the little robot.

"Yes, that includes you. You are a droid, so you will be detained" he informed the droid.

He then looked back to me.

"In addition, we will have to take your personal arms and armour until the completion of our enquiry" he told me.

Again all of this didn't surprise me.

"Will we be able to get our gear back?" asked Atton.

Grenn nodded. .

"If you are cleared of any involvement, your personal effects will be returned to you. You will be held briefly in the TSF station until living quarters can be arranged, at which point you will be placed under house arrest" we were informed.

He fixed me with a serious stare.

"Do you understand?" he asked.

I nodded my head.

"We do," I replied, "We'll cooperate with your investigation".

Only because I hadn't actually done anything wrong. Although if they did figure out who I really was then I was trouble. Thankfully very few people knew that I was a Sith and they were unlikley to have that in their records. If they had anything at all it would be the false identity I'd used when travelling with Revan and her lot.

"Good," said Grenn.

He gestured, and two of the TSF officers slung their rifles and stepped forward.

"My men will relieve you of any arms and armour" we were told "Please follow me."

I saw Atton roll his eyes as he handed over his mining laser.

"Tell me I'm not going to jail again" he moaned.

(Line Break)

Once we had been set free it was a short walk to Module 82, which pleased me as I wanted more time to rest and to meditate, my connection to the Force was as weak as it had been back when I'd started my training. There were certain meditation exercises I'd used while at the academy to strengthen my connection to the Force I was hoping that they'd work again.

What also pleased me was that no bounty hunter had tried to kill me while I was locked in a cage, it seemed that no one here thought I was a Jedi.

The apartment was bare-bones, a single large room with a food synthesiser, the Star Wars version of Star Trek replicator, on one side and the door to the 'fresher on the other. The only furnishings were a square table, three dining chairs, and three beds.

"These will serve as your quarters for the duration of your house arrest," said Grenn.

I'd stayed in worse, my quarters on Korriban hadn't been as nice as this place.

"Well, this is a step up from a force cage at least," muttered Atton.

If nothing else we now had room to move about, if not by much.

"How long will we be here?" I asked.

"I can't say," said Grenn. "We have a ship examining what's left of the Peragus facility now, so your stay might be brief. We'll keep you informed".

With that the officers left.

"This isn't good." Atton said as he began pacing in front of the large window. "We've got to get off this station".

I was in no rush to go anywhere.

"What do you think the TSF is going to find at Peragus?" Atton was now saying "That could bring the Sith…"

He trailed off and walked to the window.

"You know what, forget it. As long as we're trapped here, it doesn't matter" he grumbled.

He wasn't the only one with an opinion on the matter.

"We cannot stay in one place for too long. But our path has brought us here for a reason." the sith witch said "I must meditate on this. In the meantime, you should rest".

Atton kicked off his boots and flopped down on one of the beds.

"As for me, I could use some sleep" he told us.

Kreia moved to sit cross-legged on the floor. After a moment, I did the same. I closed my eyes and tried to call upon the Force. I could feel the energy around me. There had been a time, not so long go, when I could have felt each life on the station. Hopefully I would regain my old strength; I would need it to stop the Sith.

(Line Break)

My meditation came to an end when I heard a beeping noise, it was coming from a terminal, which like most of the tech of this galaxy was rather easy to use. Once I had found the 'accept' button a GE3 protocol droid appeared on the screen.

"Good day" greeted the robot "I am B-4D4, administrative assistant for Czerka Corporation's Citadel Station Branch. I am attempting to connect you with Executive Officer Jana Lorso. May I put you through?"

I should at least hear what she had to say.

"Yes, go ahead" I told the robot.

"Thank you," said the droid pleasantly. "I will connect you now".

The screen went dark a moment. Then soon there was a new image, one of a Mirialan woman in her late thirties if I was any judge

Mirialans were a near-human species native to the planet Mirial. They had green to yellow skin and often had tattoos on their faces, although this female didn't. The Mirialans were known for their spirituality and strong connection with the world around them. This made the Force Sensitive members of that species very good Jedi. Although there were always a few oddballs, and I figured this woman wasn't a typical Mirialan.

"Thank you for accepting my call" the woman said "As my assistant no doubt informed you, I am Jana Lorso".

"Why are you calling?" asked, trying to act as if I didn't know already "What do you want from me?".

She soon told me.

"I believe you're a person of influence. Someone I'd like on my side" she said "I'm not asking for your help, though. I'm offering you a job. Work for Czerka, and be handsomely rewarded".

I thought about what to say.

"Very well I'll come met with you as soon as I can" I decided.

The screen went blank.

"Well someone doesn't like to waste time" I muttered.

(Line Break)

Atton either carried packs of Pazaak cards around with him or at some point he'd managed to convince one of the cards to bring us some. Not that it mattered, what mattered was that he and I were playing the game. This was as close to male bonding as I'd gotten for quiet a while.

Pazaak was a popular card game in which the goal was to reach 20 without going over, or at least come closer to it than the opponent. The player with the nearest sum to the number 20 won the round, and the player who won three rounds won the match. If in one round the scores of the two players were equal, the round was not counted at all.

However it wasn't that simple as there were two different decks in pazaak: the main deck, which was composed of cards numbered 1-10. There was also one side deck for each player in the game. These decks would be assembled by the players themselves and had to have exactly ten cards.

The side deck could have variety of cards, and each deck was unique to the player in that he or she could purchase different types of cards throughout the galaxy and choose whichever ones he preferred to keep in his hand. There were two types of such cards: Plus and Minus cards, which were blue and red, and Advanced cards, which were gold. Main deck cards were green.

Plus Cards were blue cards that added the written value to a player's total when played. The value of the cards ranged from 1 to 6 points. Minus Cards were red cards that were similar to the plus cards, but instead they subtracted their value from the players total. They also ranged from 1 to 6.

Plus or Minus Cards (+/-) were essentially a combination of the two; the player could choose upon play whether he wanted to add the number or subtract it from his hand. These were the most expensive and highly valued cards. They also ranged from 1 to 6.

The Side Deck was often the key to victory, as without it, a player relied solely on luck to win the match. Therefore, a player would have to conserve his cards, as the four side deck cards would have to last him through the entire match.

Again none of that really matter right now, we weren't gambling money, we were just playing to pass the time.

"So Gothic, you were a Sith Lord during the Jedi Civil war?" Atton asked me as we started a new match.

Rand won the round before I answered getting a twenty when I only managed 18.

"I missed out on the war mostly" I told him "I was Malak's apprentice shortly before he died, and you don't exactly stop being a Sith Lord, but for the part of the war I did fight in I was on the Republic's side".

This shocked Atton so much that he actually lost a match.

"A Sith Lord fought for the Republic?" he was finally able to say "Now I've heard everything".

To be fair it did sound unbelievable.

"Well it was more than I was against Malak than for the Republic" I went on to say "The Jedi wanted him defeated and so did I, it just made sense to aid them. He captured me during the mission and tortured me until I agreed to work for him".

Malak would have destroyed civilisation rather than rule it, he hadn't been the conqueror Revan had been. Plus he could have weakened the galaxy to the point that the True Sith would be able to invade.

"So what did you do during the war?" I asked.

Atton suddenly became even more focused on his cards.

"Let's just play" he said.

That was fine with me.

(Line Break)

After a somewhat comfortable night in the apartment, I got up and found that there was a message waiting for us on the terminal. Lt. Grenn would be dropping in later in the morning. In fact he arrived just moments after I'd finished reading the message.

"I've come to inform you that the Telosian government has completed its inspection of the Peragus facility" we were informed "It appears that the Harbinger had indeed been present, and was responsible for the station's destruction. Logs recovered from the facility's wreckage indicated that the miners perished as a result of sabotage, which began while you and your companions were either incapacitated or incarcerated. As such, you are to be released from house arrest. However, the Republic government wishes to interview you. They have insisted that you remain on-station until a special envoy arrives to speak with you".

That would be Carth of that I was sure, and I might as well wait for him. It might not be such a bad idea to inform the Republic higher ups about the two nearly unkillable Sith Lords that were running around the galaxy.

"When will he arrive?" I asked.

"The Sojourn is already en route," said Grenn. "It will likely be no more than a week. During that time, you'll have free roam of the station; feel free to use these quarters during your stay".

That was nice of them.

"Is the Ebon Hawk still impounded?" asked Atton

Grenn shook his head.

"The vessel's I&D is complete. Please visit the TSF station in Entertainment Module 081 to complete the necessary paperwork at the front desk. The Ebon Hawk should be transferred from the impound docks by the time you're free to leave" we were informed.

There was something else they had impounded.

"What about my T3 droid?" I wished to know.

That little robot was very handy to keep around, and he seemed to like me, assuming that a droid could like someone.

"After filling out the paperwork, it'll be transferred with your ship, along with your confiscated weapons and armour," said Grenn.

Then he turned and left the apartment, I figured he had more important things to worry about now that we weren't suspected criminals.

"Well, now what?" asked Atton. "We can't just stick around. We need to find a way off this station, whether it's the Ebon Hawk or some other ship"

He rubbed his chin.

"We could hit Nar Shaddaa, maybe" he suggested "If you've got people coming after you, it's where you go to get lost in the crowd."

I turned to face him

"You know that from experience?" I enquired.

Atton shot me a dirty look.

"Hey, everyone needs to get lost once in a while. Get away from something, you know? It's no big deal" he replied.

I then turned to the other sort of dark lord who was in the room.

"What do you think, Kreia?" I asked.

The sith witch took a moment to think.

"It is difficult to say. I feel we have come to Telos for a reason" she said "but we may have spent too much time here already. Even if the Harbinger was destroyed at Peragus, more Sith could already be on their way. Still, there is a chance we might learn of the Jedi here. Before the war, Jedi who failed in their training were sent to the fields of Telos, to serve the galaxy not as Jedi Knights, but as farmers and labourers. The destruction of Telos was complete, I doubt any Jedi remain. Yet there may be… echoes of their passing. We shall see".

I shrugged. I didn't care much for the Jedi, or even my fellow Sith. One group would rise and then the other as the Force sought balance, this would go on with or without me. However since a Sith Lord was trying to kill me I was involved in this endless struggle once again.

"In any event, we need our ship and gear back" I was now saying "That's our first priority. We'll hit the TSF office and go from there".

If my life was being guided by the Force then things would progress as they were meant to, there was no sense worrying about where we went. Rather I needed to focus on getting stronger so I could defeat the Sith who hunted me, and that didn't just mean restoring my powers. There were other ways to grow stronger.

(Line Break)

A GE3 protocol droid painted in TSF colours manned the front desk.

"Welcome to Entertainment Module 081's TSF station" the robot greeted "How may I be of assistance?".

"Hello, I'm Gothic" I told the machine "Lt. Grenn said to come here to get the Ebon Hawk and the rest of my possessions out of impound".

The robot turned to the computer in front of it.

"I will call up the appropriate information now," said the droid. "One moment. Searching… One moment…"

The droid hesitated for a few moments.

"I regret to inform you that the Ebon Hawk is gone. The TSF believes it was stolen and is currently investigating" it informed us.

Well this just meant that we'd end up with more people on board my ship, one of which could be the handmaiden, which I didn't mind so much as she could be hot.

"Any idea where it went?" I enquired.

The planet's pole I was sure, but world's tended to have two so I needed to be sure which one before we took a shuttle down there. I could just wait for Carth, but I'd started wondering if that was such a good idea, he didn't like the Sith, and he knew I'd served Malak. He might not be interested in helping me.

"It seems the Ebon Hawk was transferred to Telos' surface instead of an impound dock," replied the droid. "However, the point of delivery is unknown. In addition, the vessel is not showing up at any government-sanctioned landing site. I would conjecture that it has been stolen and the TSF records have been illegally accessed and modified"

Atton swore.

"I knew it! That stupid T3 unit stole our ship!" he yelled "It's probably joyriding through the system right now, laughing at us… laughing at me".

What problem did Atton have with T3?

"That is unlikely," said the protocol droid. "While your utility droid is not accounted for, numerous satellites track all incoming and outgoing vessels. There is no record of the Ebon Hawk leaving the system".

"Wait," said Atton. "You're saying the ship's actually somewhere on Telos' surface?" he asked "I don't understand. Telos' atmosphere is highly corrosive outside the shielded Restoration Zones. Where else could someone land safely?".

Alas his question was not answered, at least not directly.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid that's all the information I have for you," the droid said. "However, it is unlikely that someone could steal a star ship from under TSF observation without considerable backing. If your vessel has been stolen, there is a fair chance that the Exchange possesses relevant information".

Great now I'd have to deal with the Black Sun of its day.

"Can I get my possessions back at least?" I requested.

I would feel a lot better with my armour on, it was just a shame I'd left my broken lightsabre on the ship, but perhaps that was for the best if people saw the weapon they might start thinking I was a Jedi.

"Fortunately, your possessions were kept in the armoury and were uncompromised" the robot told us "I will open the door so you may retrieve them."

The droid handed me a key card and pointed.

"You will find them in the marked security locker" it informed

Another good reason to recover our weapons was that we'd have to go and deal with the Exchange. I didn't think this could be avoided so I might as well use the situation to my advantage.

"Let's go pick up our gear" I said to the group

The armoury was just off the TSF lobby as such it didn't take long to find the appropriate locker and retrieved our meagre stock of weapons.

(Line Break)

Once inside the cantina I looked around and soon spotted Luxa. She was leaning against one end of the bar between two enormous Gamorreans, obviously bodyguards. Luxa had the same pink skin as all Zeltrons, deep red hair that was cut short, and pink eyes. She showed off her knockout figure with an outfit that people really shouldn't wear in public.

She was sipping a cocktail idly, pretending to relax while closely watching the room, as such I was sure she'd already spotted me and my... well not friends.

I was walking up to the Luxa when my way was blocked by a dark-skinned man flanked by a Rodian and an Aqualish.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

After dealing with all those droids beating up a couple of organic beings would be a refreshing change of pace, assuming it came to that.

"Perhaps you don't know who I am," the human said boastfully.

I smiled.

"Someone with an inflated view of himself" I joked.

The man's eyes narrowed.

"You haven't been on Citadel Station long, have you" he said "Let me introduce myself. I'm Benok, the man in charge of Loppak Slusk's protection. You do know who Loppak Slusk is, don't you?".

He then indicated the two aliens with him.

"With me are Matu and Nahata, Slusk's finest men. Other than me, of course" he boosted.

"Oh, leave the man alone, Benok," said Luxa. "I bet he'd come out on top if you fought".

Benok seemed to deflate a little as soon as Luxa spoke, clearly she was not someone to be messed with.

"Now, Luxa, I meant no disrespect," Benok said smoothly. "You're probably Slusk's strongest woman".

Luxa shrugged.

"It's your skin, Benok" the pink lady warned "Just warning you, Slusk could easily replace you".

Benok rolled his eyes.

"Well, we were just leaving anyway" he said as he jerked his head to Matu and Nahata. "Come on".

I didn't even bother to watch them leave.

"Wise man," Luxa remarked as she turned to look at me "Can we talk for a bit?"

I shrugged, making it seem as if it wasn't important to me.

"We can if you like" I said causally.

Luxa sipped her drink.

"I handle vice, you know, spice, gambling, the good things in life, for the local Exchange boss, Loppak Slusk" I was told "The thing is that squid and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things".

Zeltrons were one of the few near-Human races who had differentiated from the baseline stock enough to be considered a new species of the Human genus, rather than simply a subspecies.

They possessed two biological traits of note. The first was that they all produce potent pheromones, similar to the Falleen species, which enhanced their attractiveness and likability. The second was a limited telepathic ability, used to project emotions onto others, as well as allowing them to read and even feel the emotions of others; some Zeltrons were hired by the Exchange just for this ability.

Because of their telepathic ability, positive emotions such as happiness, love and pleasure became very important to them, while negative ones such as anger, fear, or depression were shunned.

Another difference between Zeltrons and Humans was the presence of a second liver, which allowed Zeltrons to enjoy a larger number of alcoholic beverages than other humanoids, and their incredible metabolisms allowed them to eat even the richest of foods. Something a baseline human like myself envied them for.

Luxa's mental abilities would be telling her that I was that I was predator and therefore not someone to be pushed around, hence why she warned Benok not to mess with me. Plus given her connections it was possible that the moment I had arrived she had been looking into my background. Not many people knew I'd been Malak's last apprentice, but it was possible Luxa knew.

"You seem like a very capable sort. Tell me, are you a capable sort?" she asked.

That was a fair assessment of me.

"I'm capable" I replied

Luxa smiled.

"I like that in a man" she said.

That was when I picked up a faint pleasant smell, and I realised that Luxa was expressing pheromones.

"I have a proposition for you," said Luxa. "We should talk more,in private."

She waved away the Gamorreans and pointed to a door that I was sure led to an office. I turned to my companions.

"Wait for me outside" I instructed.

Kreia made a disapproving noise, but like Atton she did as she told. As soon as she was gone Luxa smiled lustfully and took my hand, leading me through the door, and then into a room.

"This is my office," explain ed Luxa. "I run this cantina along with most of the other entertainment venues on the Citadel"

The desk had several displays cycling through camera views of the cantina. Next to the desk was a small bar, and against the wall was a large divan. The whole place was done up in red silk upholstery and dark wood. I fond it pleasing to the eyes.

"You have good taste" I complimented,

Luxa gestured for me to sit on the divan. Then she walked to the bar, mixed a pitcher of cocktails, and poured two glasses. After that Luxa carried the drinks over and held one of them out to me.

Two drinks, same pitcher, that made it being drugged drink unlikely, not that she needed a drug, her control came form the pheromones.

"Here's what I want" said Luxa in a straightforward tone. "Help me with Loppak Slusk, and I'll help you find your missing ship".

If she knew about the Ebon Hawk then that made it more likely that she knew exactly who I was.

"Slusk works for Goto, who's all the way out on Nar Shaddaa. Now this Goto, he's rigid, ruthlessly efficient, and all he sees are numbers. Goto keeps the squid around because he maintains a steady flow of income" Luxa informed me "it's only half of what I know it could be. I should be the Citadel's boss, but Goto doesn't allow breaks in the chain of command. I can't go over Loppak Slusk's head, so I've got to take care of him myself".

As a Sith I was well versed in the idea of using murder in order to gain a promotion.

"I can get you into the Exchange suites in Residential 082." the pink lady was now saying More than a few of the guards are in my pocket, so there shouldn't be too much resistance inside".

Luxa was now sitting next to me, very closely, and I got the feeling that this wasn't all going to be business.


	5. Chapter 5

**"Without strife, the victory has no meaning. Without strife, one does not advance. Without strife, there is only stagnation." ―Yuthura Ban**

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 5**

"What is your business here?" The Rodian guard asked as he placed one hand on his holstered blaster.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Atton respond in kind, and I got the feeling that he was more than capable of firing his weapon before the alien could.

"Luxa sent me. For Slusk" I told the green skinned creature.

Quickly the Rodian backed down, and his body moved into a more relaxed posture.

"It's your head" the alien said just before he opened the door and calmly away.

So far so good.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this" Atton stated.

Hearing that made me sigh.

"Would you stop saying that" I requested.

Rather than say anything else we all walked inside the Exchange's HQ.

"Hello. Do you have an appointment?" The secretary asked as she smiles at us.

I noticed that she was keeping one hand under her desk. Most likely there was a button down there that would trigger an alarm, another possibility was that the lady had a hidden weapon, but she didn't seem like a fighter.

"You will let us inside" I commanded "We have an appointment"

While speaking I used a Jedi Mind trick in order to make her obey. Her eyes glazed over as her will became submissive to my own.

"You have an appointment. I will..." the woman started to say.

Suddenly she broke free of my control and slammed her hand over a button on her desk, while at the same time pulling a blaster out from under her desk. Clearly I'd underestimated this woman, she had a stronger will than most, and she more of a fighter than she seemed.

"Intruders! Lock down the..."

Before I could figure out what to do next, Atton pulled out his blaster, which she used to shoot the console on the secretary's desk, then he expertly disarmed the woman by shooting the blaster right out of the woman's hand. She yelped, more in surprise than pain before running past us, out the Exchange headquarters.

"Well, so much for subtlety" I whispered.

I really needed to properly reforge my connection to the Force.

(Line Break)

I casually yanked my blade out of a Gamorrean's stomach and then pushed the dying alien to the side so that the bulk of the creature didn't end up pinning me down on the ground. That would have been rather embarrassing. Not that I had time to worry about such things as I was currently knee deep in Exchange thugs.

As soon as one of the pig men was down I was facing another. The Gamorrean squealed and raised the axe into the air, only to get shot in the back a few times by Atton, the pig men were tough, but they weren't blaster proof, and soon the creature fell to the ground.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe we should have brought the crone" Rand said as we stepped over the dead bodies "She could have gotten that secretary to let us in no problem".

That I didn't doubt, and in my defence I'd never been very good with the whole Mind Trick thing, Sith didn't tend to use them much, we tended to have little trouble getting people to do whatever it is was we wanted.

"Can you sense Slusk?" Rand wondered.

I tried to do just that, now that we had a moment of quiet for me to think, I reached out with the Force, an action that allowed me to get a sense of the area and the life within it. My range was limited but not as much as it had been before I'd reached this station. It helped that the Citadel was full of life and that I'd had chance to meditate.

The minds of the Gamorrean's were slow, and simple, not as animal like as I would have expected, but they were dull compared to that of a human. On the subject of humans there were some around, they were tense, waiting.

Beyond them was an alien mind, prideful, it was filled with the illusion of control, the local Exchange boss, or maybe just someone high ranking among his staff.

"He's... that way" I told Atton while pointing to one of the doors "I think. Maybe. There's a lot going on over there".

I could tell that my lack of confidence was not inspiring.

We moved on to the next room, only to find it empty. After that there were several more rooms, within only a few Gamorrean guards stationed inside. They were slow enough for me to take them down before any one of them even raised an axe. Clearly Gamorrean's were hired as bodyguards due to their size rather than fighting prowess.

"How can they get away with having this many thugs and still pretend to be a normal business?" Atton wondered.

I knew why.

"On my world we call it a A polite fiction, that's when everyone is aware of a truth, but pretend to believe in some alternative version of events to avoid conflict. The cops here don't want a war with the Exchange and the Exchange don't want to disrupt business" I said "So everyone just pretends something other than the truth",

That was when I remembered something.

"If you see Slusk, don't shoot him unless you have to" I instructed Rand "We might be able to strike a deal with him".

Atton didn't seem convinced.

"You think you can cut a deal with him?" he asked.

Not really, but I was wise enough to keep my options open.

"Once we're finished with his minions, he might be in a negotiating mood" I replied.

(Line Break)

By now we were getting closer to the cluster of sentients I'd sensed earlier. Some of them had the dull feel of Gamorreans, but most are sharper and more defined. Humans minds, ready for battle.

"They're in the next room, at lot of them" I informed Rand "Atton, do you have any grenades?".

He nodded.

"Sure I've got plasma, sonic, concussive, frag" he told me "Which do you want to use".

I considered this for a moment.

"Whichever you prefer is good with me, as long as you don't blow us up too" I said.

Atton hosted his blasters, and readied two frag grenades, one of which he passed to me.

"I'll open the door, then we throw" I instructed.

With effort I concentrated on the door controls, and with a twitch of my fingers the door opened.

"Now!" I shouted.

Two grenades went flying into the room, and just as someone started shoot the door closed again. When I opened for the second time, a few moments later, smoke poured out of the room.

"Wait for it to clear a little. Just in case" I said.

I worried over nothing, no one had survived the explosions.

(Line Break)

"He's alone" I told Atton as I once again reached out with the Force "No wait I think he has some droids with him".

Since robots weren't alive they didn't register to my supernatural senses, but I was feeling a threat within that room, more than one.

"Ion grenades?" suggested Rand

Nodding I signalled my agreement with this idea.

"Are they standing close enough for just one?" Rand asked next.

I wasn't sure, and it was at times like this I wished that my Hk droid was working, alas it was currently in peices on board the Ebon Hawk.

"Best use two to be on safe side" I advised.

When the door opened, Atton and I rolled the grenades in. There was a flash, a crackling sound, then four little explosions, the droids' circuits overloading I assumed.

"Slusk!" I called out as I entered the office.

A moment later a Quarren popped his head above the office's desk, and I noted that he had blaster pointed at me, and that the alien was having trouble holding it straight. With the Force I knocked the gun out of his hands with little effort, in times past I could have brought the gun right to my hand, but I didn't have that measure of control or that much raw power

"My name is Gothic and I have a proposal for you" I told the alien.

He seemed surprised by that, and he was right to be as until now it had seemed as if we'd come here to kill Slusk, which we still might do.

"I'm listening" the Quarren said.

Quickly I got to the point.

"Your faithful employee, Luxa, sent me to kill you" I told the Exchange crime boss.

This time he didn't look surprised. This kind of thing is practically expected from Exchange members I guessed.

"I'm giving you a chance to offer me a better deal" was what I said next.

Slusk looked around his office, perhaps he was wondering what his chances were off getting past us. They were zero.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"A shuttle" I told him.

The Quarran's face tentacles twitched, which meant something I was sure.

"I can get you one" Slusk told me "But you need to deal with Luxa, or I won't live long enough to make arrangements".

That was when the pink skinned sexy alien entered the room, along with a couple of the pig-men.

"I can get you a shuttle and credits" she offered.

That was when I turned to face the Quarran.

"Can you do better?" I asked him.

Only one of the crime bosses was leaving this room alive, and I was going to find out which of them wanted to go on living badly enough to pay for the privilege of a longer life.

(Line Break)

Rather than got shot down, and end up meeting that alien with robot arm, I'd had Atton fly the shuttle directly the planet's pole, which as it turned out was the right one. Now I hoped to leave the shuttle behind and recover my ship.

The room was instantly recognisable as a Jedi Council chamber. There were chairs in a circle, and a stone spire in the centre. On the far side, a bridge over a chasm led up to a door set into the rock. It opened, and a woman walked along the bridge towards me.

This woman was older than I was, and she wore the white-and-silver robes of a Jedi archivist. She had ivory-white skin, high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and ice-blue eyes.

"I did not expect for a Sith to ever enter this place, at least not without blood being shed" the Jedi said.

Atris' voice was harsh and cold. Much like the weather outside of this hideout.

"I find it unusual that you are travelling with others. I had thought you had forsaken everyone after the war with Malak" the Jedi said next.

My alliance with the Jedi Order hadn't latest long, but it had achieved what I had desire it to. Malak was dead, and since I'd been his last apprentice that meant that his empire had been mine. Not that I'd bothered to try to run it, and without a strong leader the Sith had turned on each other, as they often did.

I'd left for the Outer Rim, hoping to learn more about the Force, but that hadn't proven easy, which was partly why I had returned to the more civilised parts of the galaxy. However thinking on it I was starting to wonder if Kreia had something to do with that. Had I stumbled into her presence while exploring some old Sith World?

"We didn't have much of a choice" I told the Jedi "Now if you would be kind enough to return my ship I'll leave you in peace".

She withdrew the silver hilt of a lightsabre from her robes and ignited the blade. It was my sabre, the dragon pearl gave the blade an odd colour. I figured Atris must have repaired the weapon.

"Answer me this" demanded the Jedi "How did you find this place?".

She was right to be concerned, if one Sith could find this place then others could.

"I was looking for my ship so I can leave Telos" I said truthfully.

Atris eyed me suspiciously.

"Your ship, ah, the Ebon Hawk? It is not your ship. Unless you are admitting to the destruction of the Peragus mining facility" she said.

"The destruction of Peragus was not my doing" I informed the Jedi "That was the work of a Sith Lord called Sion, I don't know if he's always used that name, but I do know that he's one of the Sith who are currently hunting the Jedi across the galaxy. The Sith came for me on Peragus, to kill me, they don't want any rivals".

Atris spent a few moments studying me.

"You speak truly" she said after a while "you have encountered the Sith. And you encountered them on Peragus? But what would they want there? They can't have been looking for you".

No they'd been looking for the Jedi Exile.

"There was a former Jedi at Peragus" I told Atris "She died, and there was an assassin droid there trying to collect the Bounty the Exchange has on Jedi, the machine tried to take me instead, but since then no Bounty Hunter has bothered me. Then the Sith showed me, looking for the dead Jedi and they found me".

Atris had a few more questions, all of which I provided answers for.

"Then I shall send you on your way," Atris said, gesturing dismissively. "It is now time for you to depart"

Three of the handmaidens entered the chamber from behind me.

"I want my weapon back" I told Atris.

Rather rudely she dropped it to the ground before turning away.

"We shall remove him, Mistress," said one of the hot chick handmaidens.

And with that the meeting was over.

(Line Break)

The three handmaidens led me to a small common area.

"Make sure the freighter is properly fuelled and supplied, before they leave" one of the women said to another.

The woman, who I guessed to the youngest of the handmaidens, then turned to face me.

"Is there anything you need for your journey?" she asked.

Nothing I could think of, at least nothing that I couldn't buy elsewhere.

"My companions," I said "where are they?".

Perhaps I should have used the word 'friends' but that was hardly what they were.

"You will find them in the main irrigation channel room in the northern part of the plateau interior," said the handmaiden. "The particle emitters there that once governed the flow of water to Telos can double as force cages".

Poor Atton, he kept getting locked up. No wonder his was paranoid.

"They were caged for their safety until we could determine your intent" the handmaiden was now saying "Atris cautioned us against your tactics, fearing that your allies would create a distraction. Your companions gave us little trouble, however. The male could have presented some challenge if he had resisted, but he chose not to".

Given that I was a Sith Lord they'd have been crazy to do otherwise.

"Who, Atton?" I asked.

He was a good shot with a blaster, but he was no threat to warriors like these women. Then again he had killed Jedi so perhaps I should be more concerned about him.

"He has had some Echani training," the handmaiden replied. "He masks it well, but when you were in danger, his form dropped into a stance we know well".

Well he had fought in the Mando wars and then later against the Republic so it made sense that he'd gone through combat training.

"I have a question for you" the woman then said.

"What did you wish to ask?" I wondered.

The handmaiden hesitated for a long moment.

"You have touched the Force" she was able to say "What does it feel like?"

That was not an easy question to answer. I'd read at least some of the lore of the Sith back when I'd been at the academy, and I'd learned from both living Sith and Jedi, yet despite all that education I had a very limited understand of the Force and what it could do. Even something as basic as how it felt to be connected to the Force could change from person to person.

"It is a difficult thing to describe," I said

"Please, I wish to know" she pleaded.

The handmaiden's voice was tense, almost desperate.

"You don't have a frame of reference that would allow you to understand" I told the woman "It would be like trying to explain what yellow is to a blind person, or what music sounds to a deaf person. You have to experience it to understand it, and even then its mostly a mystery".

The handmaiden spent a few moments thinking.

"I see. Thank you. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me" she finally said.

Although I had no idea why she grateful given that I'd not been at all helpful.

(Line Break)

Kreia spoke as I entered the room she and Atton had been contained within

"Did you find what you came for?" the old woman asked.

Somehow I didn't think she meant my lightsabre.

"That depends. What was I supposed to find here?" I asked back.

Kreia didn't answer, and since I hadn't either I didn't push the issue. No doubt it had been important for me to see Atris, I just wasn't sure why. I already knew she'd been corrupted.

"She had the Ebon Hawk, and she agreed to return, so we're ready to leave" I said.

The old woman nodded slightly.

"Very well, let us depart," said Kreia.

I turned my head as Atton groaned from the floor of his force cage.

"He is only sleeping," said Kreia. "It seems the journey here has fatigued him"

Since I knew what had actually happened there was no sense talking about it, instead I deactivated the force fields. Atton stood up, somewhat groggily, and once he was ready we headed to the hangar. Along the way we entered another room and inside found T3-M4 in a stasis field of his own. T3 tooted an excited greeting upon seeing me.

"Well, if it isn't the one who stole the Ebon Hawk," said Atton accusingly. "Not so smug now, are you, you little thief?".

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't be a fool," chided Kreia, "Atris stole the ship and the droid"

The act had been performed by one or more of the handmaidens, but on Atris order.

"T3, are you all right?" I enquired of the robot.

It hooted and whistled at me.

"You can fill me in later," I told the machine "for now let me get you out of there first."

I shut down the force field and T3 rolled out to join us.

(Line Break)

The crew, such as we were, gathered in the main hold, standing around the holodisplay which also served as a table at mealtimes, as well as form of entertainment. I had some great holodramas.

"Now that we're off that dejarik board of a planet, I say that we burn sky until we see lines" Rand was saying "And forget about the Jedi".

Upon hearing the mention of Jedi T3 started displaying information on the whereabouts of the Jedi Master

"We need their help against the Sith," I said once the robot had finished.

Again I wondered how much of what I was doing was the Will of the Force and how much was Kreia controlling me, because we didn't need the Masters, they wouldn't be any help to me. I had to grow strong enough to defeat the Sith, the Jedi couldn't, they were all either dead or hiding, or simply unimportant.

"Those are Atris' records you have stolen!" a voice called out.

The last of the handmaidens walked into the hold from the direction of the boarding ramp.

"What the hell are you doing on our ship?" Atton demanded to know.

Since I couldn't hide my lack of surprise so I could only hope that no one was looking at me right now.

"I have come to join you," she said. "I can help you against this threat."

Atton crossed his arms.

"Well, we don't want your help. Or any of your sisters" he said.

"It is just me," she replied. "And I am doing this because Atris believes you will need help".

Well we could use the help, and had an interest in the Force which she could learn to use if I was able to train her, with that in mind it seemed wise to keep her close.

"I will take whatever help I can get" I told the handmaiden.

The others weren't so happy to have her around.

"Indeed?" Kreia said derisively. "But of course, what does one more matter to our journey?"

She turned to face me.

"I have had enough of this" the old sith witch declared "I will be in my chambers"

With that she wandered off.

"If she's coming with us, she gets the cargo hold," decided Atton. "Might remind her how fun it is to get locked up".

This was going to be a fun trip (not).

"The cargo hold is enough," the handmaiden said quickly. "I assure you, there is little I need. I will attend to myself"

And spy on us as well. However I didn't really mind as if I had been Atris I'd want to keep tabs on the Sith Lord who was running about the galaxy doing the gods only knew what.

"Do you have a name?" I asked the warrior woman.

"I prefer to be called Handmaiden," she said. "Before entering Atris' service, yes, I carried a name, as all the children of the Echani do. It is not important. My title and rank is of consequence, not my name. I take value in Atris' service, not in myself".

With effort I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Handmaiden it is, then" I said before addressing Atton "I've been thinking about what you said on the station-about Nar Shaddaa, and getting lost. Master Zez-Kai is supposed to be there, and so is Goto, the Exchange boss who posted the bounty on Jedi. I want to deal with him, make him call off the bounty".

The bounty was for Jedi not for Sith, but to most people there wasn't much difference between the two. So it was only a matter of time before the hunters started coming after me, one Hk droid already had.

"I'd say you were crazy to take on an Exchange boss directly, but I saw you handle Luxa and Slusk" Atton replied.

Rand then thought a moment.

"They call Nar Shaddaa the smuggler's moon for a reason-we should be able to get the ship's transponder codes changed. That will lower our profile" he suggested.

That sounded like a good idea.

"Nar Shaddaa it is then" I decided.

(Line Break)

The training remote moved through the air, I couldn't see it, but I could hear it, and that allowed me to roughly guess where it was, but I avoided trying to do that and let the Force control my actions. This was different than calling upon the Force, harder it someways, yet easier in others. Hard because it meant letting go of control, and easier because the Force was doing all the work.

The Force, was a metaphysical, spiritual, binding, and ubiquitous power that held enormous importance for both the Jedi and Sith . Known as the Way in ancient times, the Force was viewed in many different aspects, including, but not limited to, the light side, the dark side, the Living Force, the Unifying Force, the Cosmic Force, and the Physical Force. The first two aspects were concerned with the moral compass of the Force, as manifested by the conduct and emotions of living creatures who were themselves part of the fabric of the Force.

The light side of the Force was the facet aligned with compassion, selflessness, self-knowledge and enlightenment, healing, mercy and benevolence, while the dark side of the Force was aligned with hatred, fear, covetousness, anger, aggression, jealousy and malevolence.

As for the other four aspects were defined by prominent Jedi philosophies: The Living Force dealt with the energy of living things; the Unifying Force, with the entirety of space and time; the Cosmic Force, with life after death; and the Physical Force, with anything within one's surroundings.

Though the Force was categorised in this way, there were no specific abilities or powers that were only usable by a follower of a particular path of the Force; the Force partially existed inside the life forms that used it, and drew energy from their emotions.

Some beings, particularly the Sith, believed that the dark side of the Force was more powerful than the light, that wasn't something I was sure about, I used the dark side because I was a Sith. Unlike the others I didn't limit myself to using just fear and anger, I embraced all passions.

In my view just using hate and anger when calling upon the dark side effected the mind like only eating one or two kinds of food effected the body. To remain healthy a person needed different kinds of food just like how they needed to feel different things. Alas no other Sith seemed to see things that way.

Perhaps one day I would make a holocron and record my thoughts so that someday others would see things my way.

Holocrons were information-storage devices that could fit in the palm of hand. It was common for them to be shaped like evenly proportioned polyhedrons, with facets made from a crystalline material. Some had transparent outer shells that allowed their users to perceive their inner mechanisms, and they glowed when activated. While known Jedi holocrons were cubes, those built by the Sith were usually identified by their pyramidal shapes. They functioned similarly to their Jedi counterparts, and contained the ancient secrets of the dark side and the Sith Order.[

Holocrons acted as repositories of vital, sensitive knowledge and wisdom pertaining to the nature and use of the Force, the interface, for lack of a better term, took the form of an interactive hologram resembling the person who recorded the information. Given the sensitive nature of the lessons they contained, many such devices were equipped with a security mechanism that granted access only to those keenly attuned with the Force, such as myself.

While thinking about that I batted aside very low powered blaster bolts, or to be more precise the Force was using my body to do this. After a while I started to try to control my actions while letting the Force guide me rather than directly control my actions. This was more a Jedi thing than a Sith one, but it worked.

As I carried on reforging my connection to the Force became aware that I was being watched, I didn't know by whom, and when I reached out to get a sense of my watcher I felt no trace, yet I could feel life forms in different parts of the ship all some distance away and there were too few of us for me to be confused. However I was sure that someone was watching me, or at least sensing me.

I would have to find out who.


	6. Chapter 6

_"All that talk of hatred, manipulation, and standing on your own two feet—sorry, you don't get any more Sith than that" ― Atton Rand_

Sith Gothic 2

Part 6

The Handmaiden sat on her mat within the cargo hold of the star ship, which she had learned was named The Ebon Hawk shortly after he mistress had ordered her acquire the space craft.

Later Atris had sent her away to join up with a Sith Lord, to follow him as one of his companions, and to learn what he had planned. She did not know why her mistress had ordered this, and she was rather uneasy about that whole thing.

She did not trust some of the other companions aboard the vessel, most of which she found unsavoury. The Handmaiden was not fond of the old woman, Kreia, who took to lecturing when asked a simple question, but would otherwise remain in her room to meditate.

Nor did the Handmaiden trust the pilot of the ship, Atton Rand. He was not only annoying, he was lazy, arrogant, and generally a waste of a person as far as the Handmaiden was concerned.

The thoughts of the Handmaiden then turned to the Sith Lord. He was odd, not all what she had been expecting. She'd always thought the Sith to be evil, but Gothic was proving to be more complex than that.

He had requested to spar with her in the traditional ways of the Echani, apparently unaware of their ways of combat. She agreed to humour him, if nothing else, and additionally because she wished the opportunity to see him with his truest expression, a part of the sparring that he did not need to know about just yet.

She did not know what to think of her discoveries. He was a talented fighter, he had defeated her without much difficulty, and ever since she had disgraced herself by being thrown to the ground, she had resolved to beat him when they next duelled.

However he'd not won because he was talented, she'd been distracted by him in a way she had never been distracted before. Sometimes the thought of him stopped all of her other thoughts so that her mind could picture only him. It was a foreign feeling that the Handmaiden did not how to deal with .

The Sith Lord exuded a strange aura of sorts, a strength that she could not describe, but she was going to find out.

(Line Break)

I could feel the sweat on my face as I struggled to keep all three datapads in the air. Spending so long trying to make them defy gravity was a chore. I still had two minutes to go before the exercise was over. Of all the lessons Kreia taught me, this one was by far the most difficult.

Actually floating the datapads around wasn't really the hard part, it was doing that while trying to ignore the distractions. That was the real training, and it changed every time. Someone Kreia made the room too hot, or too cold, at other times she made me miss a meal and then left a cooked dinner in the room so that smell of the food would be a distraction. Today she'd made me put on a itchy top. Which might not seem like a big deal, but it was.

After hearing the timer go off I was finally allowed to drop the datapads. Or rather, I let land them land softly on the ground. They were after all my datapads and I had some good novels stored on them.

"You did better than yesterday," Kreia commented "You were less distracted".

Ignoring the itchy feeling had not been easy.

"Why do you think I make you struggle with these repetitive exercises day after day?" my teacher asked.

I thought for a second, and finally settled on an honest reply.

"Really I don't know," was my reply "To strengthen my powers, I guess."

Kreia laughed harshly. I'd never heard her laugh, it wasn't pleasant.

"That is a mistake I made for nearly my entire life: being concerned with power. If all you care about strength or power, then life becomes empty" she said.

She paused for a minute, as if searching for the right words.

"You know that I have taught others before you, Gothic" she said.

This I knew, and I nodded to signal that I knew.

"Have you ever wondered how powerful they were?" Kreia asked.

Well I knew how powerful Revan had been.

"Do not fall into the trap of comparing yourself to former students" she warned "You are young, extremely powerful for your age, and you are making good progress. But do not measure yourself against others".

This seemed very important to her, but I had no idea why. Then again I rarely understood anything about the sith witch, and it seemed best for my sanity not to try.

(Line Break)

Visas was trembling a little, she was cold. She shifted a little, trying to get a little more comfortable on the smooth steel floor. After this long, she was used to such hardships, but she still felt the cold creeping into her skin. She ignored it. It would never change, and she was stronger now. Nihilus had trained her well in the ways of endurance.

Come.

She'd started to move almost before the voice of her master had spoken into her mind.

I want you to see.

She knew the way, though she was blind. Once she had entered the bridge she walked up to her Master and then bowed.

Reach out for me. Sense the presence.

Visas did so, remaining bowed before him, stretching her mind out, fighting to see past her Masters' overwhelming hunger.

She felt something, far away, and she focused her Force Sense. It focused on someone. It was a man, strong in the Force. Human, yet different from the others, and so much power.

I will provide you with a ship. You will bring this Sith to me.

"Why?" Visas wished to know.

Because I have commanded it.

Visas remained bowed.

"Yes Master" she said, failing to fully hide the excitement in her voice, she was going to get away from him after all this time "My life for yours".

Go now.

And she did.

(Line Break)

Atton had brought up the planet and its moon on the holotank.

"There you have it people. Nar Shaddaa" he said "The gaping maw of Nal Hutta, everyone and everything that travels through half of known space comes through here first. It's home to mercenaries, refugees, and the biggest criminal syndicates in the Galaxy. If you want it, you can get it here".

Somehow I didn't think I'd be able to buy a way to defeat the other Sith. Although if I could get that somewhere it would be here.

"Nar Shaddaa is a great place to get lost in, though" Atton commented. "Traffic in and out is so thick that a ship can slip in and out unnoticed if they do it right. And if we're looking for a place to hide I'd say it's here. We can hide in The Refugee Sector".

"The refugee sector?" the Handmaiden asked.

I would have thought the name would explain what it was.

"Yeah, a lot of people were displaced by the wars. Some couldn't get to somewhere decent, and they ended up here" Rand explained.

I actually felt sorry for them.

"Sounds like you've been here before." I commented.

"Anyone who's been on the wrong side of the law at one point or another has been here. Along with every spacer who has ever worked more than a year" Rand said with a shrug "Once we're on the ground, no one will spot us, that I can guarantee it".

Well it would be good to hide out for a while. I still had training to do and we were short of weapons, making money to pay for those weapons shouldn't be too hard.

"Then take us down" I ordered.

(Line Break)

The top bounty hunters in the galaxy were here because only they were considered important enough by Goto to need personal attention.

By far largest group was the Zhug brothers, a group of Duros bounty hunters led by Azanti and Dezanti Zhug, consisting of hundreds of individuals bound together by their shared cause, which was taking control the planet Duro. This 'family' as they considered themselves, was cast out from the Duro after committing violent acts against a politically-connected rival family. After settling on the moon Nar Shaddaa, the Zhug brothers started earning credits by collecting bounties. They plotted to eventually take over their former home world of Duro.

The HK 50s, were here too. Who had built them, and why they had started working as Bounty Hunters was unclear.

Zora and Kaliea, the Twi-lek pair nicknamed the Twin suns lounged languorously as they waited for Goto to start the meeting.

Finally Hanharr, the wookiee. Even among his kind Hanharr was a fearsomely strong He wore slave bracelets, a fashion statement that no one in his right mind questioned. After all, he might rip off the top of your head to see if he could find what suicidal impulse caused you to ask in the first place.

Before long a black spherical droid floated in, passed them by and turned. Then a hologram appeared, it was the image of an older human. This was Goto, one of the most feared of the Exchange's leaders.

"It has come to my attention that a person of great interest is approaching Nar Shaddaa, even as we speak" the hologram said.

There was an increase of tension in the room

"However while you may think that he is Jedi, I assure you that he is not, this human is known as Darth Gothic" Goto informed everyone "And towards the closing of the Jedi Civil war he served as an apprentice to Darth Malak, he is one of the most dangerous men in the entire galaxy".

The Bounty Hunters traded looks with each other.

"While the Sith Lord walks the streets of Nar Shaddaa he does so under my protection" Goto warned "Do not harm him".

The Hunters exchanged looks some more, they had no idea what Goto was planning, but no doubt it involved the Sith Lord who was on his way to the Smuggler's Moon.

"That is all" the hologram then said.

The hologram vanished, and the droid left the room.

(Line Break)

I took a deep breath.

"Just smell that! The beautiful stench of decay and desperation" I said.

The others came out with varying degrees of reaction to having come to this place.

"This moon literally teams with life." Kreia said softly. "It is difficult to centre yourself in such a place".

Not that I'd tried.

"Buildings almost three kilometres tall, and canyons so wide you can almost dogfight in them" was what Atton had to say "Be careful where you step. You might never find the ground again".

Given my dislike of heights I wisely didn't peer over the edge of the landing platform.

"Will this pad be safe?" I wondered.

I remembered that it wouldn't be, but the details were shady.

"If it doesn't belong to a Hutt, and no one cares about the pads. Since this is technically refugee territory" Atton told me "Plus we didn't transmit our ID code on the way in, so unless they had eyes on us every second, they won't know which pad to hit".

By 'they' I assumed he meant the Sith.

"You wanted to find this Jedi master right?" Atton then asked.

Maybe, it depended on how things worked out.

"Zez-Kai Ell" I said.

Atton just shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever" Rand said "If he wanted to hide where no one would find him, this is the first place to look".

Assuming I bothered to, I wasn't really sure there was a point since Kreia was just going to kill them all, and they weren't likely to be of any use. Still following the plot of the game made some sense as at least then I'd have some idea of the bigger picture.

"I know a guy here that can get us a new transponder signature. There are something like eight of them in the computer, but T3 says they're all voice locked. I for one want to take that big bulls eye off my back" Atton was saying.

The Ebon Hawk did seem to get much more than its fair share of trouble, and I didn't think it was always because of the people her made up her crew. Like the Doctor's TARDIS my ships seemed to be drawn to trouble, or trouble was attracted to it.

"Then let's move out" I declared.

The sooner we got moving the sooner I could find a bar. I really wanted a drink.

"All right oh fearless leader. Where do we move out to?" Atton wondered.

"It doesn't matter where we go" Kreia said softly. "What we seek will find us eventually".

The Force would ensure it, I was almost certain of that.

"Remember to watch out for bounty hunters " I reminded everyone "If I can I will have that bounty lifted before we leave this dung heap".

Sure the bounty was for Jedi, but I doubted the more greedy types would care that I'd never worn brown robes. Plus Goto would be willing to work with a Sith and the whole bounty thing was just his way of sorting out a meeting with someone who had the power to help stabilise the galaxy.

"What're you doing on my pad!?" a voice called out.

The figure now flying toward us was a Toydarian. Which in my view looked like an odd mix of an elephant and a hummingbird.

"It's a landing pad. Ships land on landing pads" I said.

Apparently my attempt to lighten the alien's mood did not go down well.

"I got another ship coming later in the week, and they already reserved that bloody pad there" we were told "So push off!".

Already I was annoyed.

"How about I give you some money and pay for the pad, and in turn you leave me alone" I suggest "Or I could shoot you".

For some reason the alien took the money.

(Line Break)

Not long after Atton, he Handmaiden and I, Kreia was off doing her own thing, left the landing platform, we found a pair of goons who were bothering an old man who wore clothes that were barely more than rags, they left quickly when they saw us, no doubt unwilling to mess with people who could actually fight back.

"Thank you" the old man said "The Exchange is using these thugs to keep us all trapped in the Refugee sector".

Seemed a bit pointless to me, it wasn't as if refugees were worth anything or had any money, so why bully them?

"Why?" I asked.

The old man shook his head.

"We don't know. It started about two years ago. A Quarren named Visquis sent out goons led by someone named Saquesh, and the word was spread that if you wanted to work, he was the guy to go to. Anyone who refused, got beaten into submission, or disappeared. If you wanted to work, you went to his hiring hall".

So the refugees were being used as a source of cheap labour, that explained why anyone would care enough to keep them contained.

"You go where you are sent, work as many hours as they say" the old man was now saying "Then it got worse. About a year ago, Visquis started offering people a way off the planet. But you had to pay. Those that could pay just left. But no one has ever come back to tell us where they were going".

Sounded as if they were sold into slavery. Made sense this was Hutt space, the Hutts liked having slaves, they tended to see anyone who wasn't them as little more than a resource to be exploited.

"I wanted out, but I don't want to get out the way Visquis allows. So I slipped by the guard stationed at the refugee housing door. But they caught me" we were then told.

Since there was more reason for us to talk I handed the old man some money.

"Go, get out of here while you have the chance" I ordered.

The man shared at the credit chips as if he wasn't quite sure they were real. I didn't see what the deal was, the credit chips I'd just handed over weren't worth much, but he could get a hot meal using them, and maybe a few drinks.

"Thank you" he said.

Then for some reason he ran away

"And what good did that do?" Kreia asked, her voice once again entering my mind.

With some effort I was able to block her out. I didn't really want to hear her views of charity. Instead I just moved on.

"I know a guy who can get us a new ID transponder. I'll talk to him. Wait here" Atton was now saying

As the Handmaiden and I stood around doing nothing we were approached by one of those lizard men who often fight the Wookies.

"You are very brave or very foolish" it said "To land on Nar Shaddaa".

Slowly my hand moved towards my lightsabre, which was hidden from view by my armorweave coat.

"And you are?" I enquired.

"Vossk" it told me "Once of the Bounty Hunter's Guild. But no more. They are no longer the Guild I swore to. They are now cowards and honorless betrayers of a proud ideal".

I knew that the Bounty Hunters' Guild was an ancient institution that regulated the bounty-hunting trade. It was led by a guild master who held members to the Bounty Hunters' Creed, the unwritten rules of the bounty hunters. Its rules were the laws that kept bounty hunters together, but the guild was full of loose cannons, who would often break the rules for their own benefit. In truth the guild was more a coalition of the professionals than a proper organisation, and rivalries between its branches and members were a common occurrence.

The bounty hunters who joined the guild had the benefit of notifications of bounty postings before they were broadcast through official channels, which gave guild members a head start.

At some point in the past The Senate decided that the best way to regulate the hunters was for the bounty hunters to police themselves. The hunters were allowed to form governing bodies, records, leading to the creation of many guilds. Soon, these guilds formed together, creating one overarching group, the Bounty Hunter's Guild

"These days there are few that bring in their quarry alive" Vossk was now telling me "The Guild has become a license to kill anyone and everyone. Few in the guild take pleasure in the hunt and the capture. Now they glory only in death".

Seemed as if the guild had become a darker place, perhaps that was due to all the wars with the Sith. I'd not sensed any shift in the balance between light and dark, but if the darkness had stronger than the light since before I'd arrived in the galaxy I wouldn't know any better.

"It sounds as if you hate them" I commented.

The alien stopped to consider its words.

"Hate" it said "No. There have always been some of that kind in the Guild. But the leaders here on Nar Shaddaa are all of that sort. Except for a few, the Guild Rules are spat upon now as often as not. But there are some only a fool will ignore".

The alien went on to explain further.

"A contract is honoured if accepted" it told me "It can be set aside only by asking the one that issued it. When you hunt, if you discover another has already begun their hunt, you may both hunt the same prey, but are not allowed to kill the opposition".

It made a sick perverted sense when you thought about it. If you agreed to hunt someone, only the one issuing the contract could revoke your part in it. The prey belonged to the one that caught him.

"But the fools are caught in the words they cannot disavow" Vossk went on to say "Every major bounty hunter on the smuggler's moon has accepted contract for Jeedai".

He spoke the word 'Jedi' oddly for some reason.

"They have been told there is one here on Nar Shaddaa, and they hunt fruitlessly" I was now being informed "Almost five years it has been, and they cannot leave the moon until he is caught because it was worded so in their contracts".

Zez-Kai Ell had been here for that long? What the hell had he been doing?

"But you have come. They were warned about you" the alien said.

Now I was surprised.

"What?" I said.

"The word has come down that you are to be left alone. Why I do not know. They must watch, but cannot leap to attack. They are getting... frustrated" I was informed.

Goto had warned them off then. But why? Was he worried about me? Worried that I might come after him?

"So they'll come after me once their patience runs thin" I reasoned "any idea who will try?".

It was always best to learn as much about a potential enemy as possible.

"Try? Any bounty hunter worth the name will succeed, there are few you need to worry about" I was now being warned "There is a nest of Gand that came here right before the Bounty was set. They are confusing to other races, but as hunters they are excellent. They will hunt you anywhere and everywhere, and they have yet to fail".

"Also there are the Twi-lek pair called the Twin Suns. Zora and Kaliea, beautiful and deadly like a well-made blade. Their master on Nal Hutta tortured them, and it warped their minds. They danced for him one final time, doing an Echani Saber dance. When his body was found, the master was sliced thousands of times. They enjoyed that feeling of power, and now they hunt merely to feed the thrill again".

"Then there is the Zhug 'Family'. Banished from Duros. It is said they tried to overthrow the government, and fled the failure with only their lives. Azanti Zhug swears that when he gets the credits, they will return with an army and take the planet. Like the Gand there are hundreds of them grouped in separate clans beneath the Zhug name".

"A year ago droids of a series made by Systech suddenly entered the market. They are supposedly HK50 models. They hunt, but why they do not simply walk away from the contract is unclear. The number of them here on the smuggler's moon is unknown".

"Then of course there are Hanharr and Mira. But the only thing that keeps them both alive is the truce. Hanharr is a Wookiee. Taken as a slave from his home world long ago. He killed the Czerka slavers, took their ship, and stopped here. But like the Twin suns, it has warped him. He now hunts exclusively humans. When he captures them, he sells them into slavery after brutalising them. Only one has ever been caught and escaped. That one is Mira".

Mira was a possible companion for the Jedi Exile and could be for me as well.

"She escaped from him and came to this very moon, and to this day, no one knows how. She had taken her first contract as a bounty hunter before she was found; the second one she took was to hunt the Jeedai and only that kept her alive".

"Hanharr has hunted Mira since she escaped from him here on the moon, and only that truce keeps him from killing her. He has sworn to hunt her until the stars die of cold. But of all it is her I admire the most".

"Why?" I asked.

"She does not hunt for the kill. She accepts more contracts where the target is returned alive than any I have seen in decades. She kills rarely, but does not glory in it. To her it is something to be avoided. If you try to find who has set this bounty, it is to her I would suggest you turn, for bringing you in alive would be her way".

All useful to know.

"Thank you" I said to the biped reptile.

The alien dipped his head.

"Good hunt, human. You are the kind that deserves a decent hunt" he said.

And with that he moved away.

"Where's Atton gotten off to" I wondered.

Hopefully he wasn't in some kind of trouble.

Reviews

Selias

Well it would be a boring story if I stuck to closely to what happens in the game.

AgentMaine49

Bao Dur is such a boring character, and he only joined up with the exile since he served under him or her during the war.


	7. Chapter 7

"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be…unnatural" ―Palpatine

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 7**

"Hey!" a man yelled as he came running up to Atton, the Handmaiden and myself "You stole my ship!".

I wondered then if any other Sith Lord had to deal with crap like this. I'd bet most of them just killed the fools who dared bothered them. Of course other Sith Lords were totally nuts, as proven by their actions and their dress sense.

"Excuse me, what are you talking about?" I asked politely.

Just because my name was Darth Gothic, that didn't mean I was lacking in manners.

"The Ebon Hawk, right? It was stolen from me during the Mandalorian Wars," the man explained.

This could be true.

"A friend of mine happened to come across the ship a few years back on Taris so I think it's safe to say that we didn't steal it from you," I told him.

Although I had stolen it from Revan, but that was a long story.

"If it's really his then we have to give it back," the Handmaiden said seriously.

She would say that.

"Says who?" Atton demanded.

I decided not to get involved in any debate between those two.

"Do you have any proof of ownership?" I asked the man.

Given the amount of money I had, I might be able to buy a new ship. I was rather found of the Ebon Hawk, but it was getting a bit crowded these days. Perhaps it was time to upgrade.

"No" the man admitted "But it's still my ship, and it's a nice ship so I'd like it back".

Well if he had no proof of ownership then I saw no reason to give the ship. He was most likely trying to scam me. Sure he may have flown on the ship, however that might just mean he'd worked for the crime lord who had once owned the ship.

"Could we buy it from you?" the Handmaiden asked him.

"I need a way off of this planet far more than I need any amount of money," the man said, shaking his head.

There was no reason for me to return it if he couldn't prove he owned it, but I'd give him money if it shut him up.

"Well in that case I really do think that we have to give it back," the Handmaiden said reluctantly.

Perhaps credits and a lift off this dump would soothe the man.

"Oh come on!" Atton protested. "It's our ship!".

"But it's not right," the Handmaiden said earnestly.

I sighed.

"He has no proof the ship is his" I pointed out, before turning to the man "And since I suspect that you might try to just steal the ship, let me point out to you that I am a Dark Lord of the Sith, and that I can kill you with my mind".

The man paled.

"I would never steal anything. I swear" he said.

Well he better not or I'd drain his life force, if nothing else that might cure the headache I was getting.

"Can we at least give him a ride somewhere" the Handmaiden suggested.

I sighed.

"Fine when we leave you can come with us" I told the man "And I'll give you some credits, you can start a new life somewhere".

That seemed to settle the issue.

"I'll go wait by the docking area until you decide to leave," the man said before hurrying away.

Right now I really wanted to find a bar.

(Line Break)

While looking for a bar the group and I walked into a room that apparently had some sort of illegal activity going down in it. Well not illegal, you needed laws for something to be against the laws, but it was something that certain people wanted to keep out of sight.

"Two cases?" one of the aliens was asking another, rather indignantly. "I asked for two dozen! What am I supposed to do with two cases?".

"Either use them or sell them," the other replied dryly. "I figured that you'd rather have the two than none at all".

What was in those cases, drugs, weapons, plushies?

"This is a set-up!" one of the non-humans shouted when they finally noticed us "Kill them all!".

The fight lasted a whole ten seconds, I had a lightsabre there was nexus of Force Energy nearby for me to tap into. Once the fight was done I checked out one of the cases.

"Anyone have any idea what this stuff" I asked of the Handmaiden and Atton.

Neither of them did, so I just left the stuff were it was.

(Line Break)

"Hey look, they have your credits, those three right there!" a refugee being harassed by some thugs shouted.

Suddenly the guy was pointing right at Atton, the Handmaiden and I.

"Can't we walk more than ten feet without running into someone who insists on bothering us?" I demanded to know

It seemed as if we couldn't.

"Is this true?" one of the thugs asked suspiciously. "Do you have his money?"

No we didn't, but rather than point this out I just used an old Jedi Mind Trick.

"He has already paid off his debt. All of it" I told the goons.

This time the trick actually worked, but I was getting a power boost from the nearby Nexus of Force energy.

"He has already paid off his debt" one of the aliens repeated.

"Oh yeah, silly of us to forget" the other thug added. "Sorry about that".

The two goons looked totally stoned. I may have overdone it.

"Um, thanks for that," the man who had just accused us said as soon as the goons had left.

"Oh, just go away," I ordered.

He did just that.

"I don't really understand what that accomplished," Atton announced.

In truth I hadn't meant to accomplish anything. I'd just wanted them all to go away and stop bothering us.

"I do," the Handmaiden insisted. "He saved a man's life."

Since I wasn't one for taking credit when it wasn't due I told the truth.

"All I did was make the annoying people who wouldn't leave me alone go away" I said to the Handmaiden.

"But wouldn't telling the thugs that you didn't know that guy have the same effect?" Atton asked.

I didn't see why I had to explain myself, but I did anyway.

"They would probably just assume that I was lying" I pointed out "So it was either the Mind Trick or we would have had to kill them".

At this point I started walking again. I would find a bloody bar.

(Line Break)

There was the chink of glass onto a metal counter as I placed my mug back onto the bar top. This signalled the droid bartender that I wished for a refill.

"You know for a guy with a lightsabre, you sure do drink a lot," Atton said, slurring his words as he did so.

He then downed another glass of something which glowed yellow.

"Isn't that supposed to be against your Code or something?" Atton asked "Don't you have a code, like the Jedi do?".

For a moment I considered this.

"Probably" I said "but that doesn't stop me, besides alcohol can be an escape, and we have a lot to escape from".

Bounty hunters, Sith assassins, Kreia, the list went on and on.

"Women too. Women and alcohol. They're as good an escape as any" Atton said sagely.

This was when a large, burly man sauntered over towards the Echani woman who was still following me around for some reason.

"You're too sober to be in this bar," he declared to all who cared to listen. "Buy you a drink, sweetheart".

I wondered how she'd deal with this.

"No, thank you," Brianna, if that was her name, replied curtly

The man sat down on the bar stool next to her, clearly not taking the hint.

"Now you don't mean that" the guy went on to say as he attempted to pull the handmaiden into his lap.

At this point I was hoping for a good bar fight, it could be fun.

"No, I think she means it," said a female voice from the corner.

I looked in that direction to see a slim redhead in a leather jacket, she had green eyes that were filled with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"Now, why don't you take your slimy hands off the girl" she advised "Before I do something we might both regret".

The slimy guy wasn't impressed.

"Everyone this side of the moon knows that you don't kill, Mira" he said.

So this was Mira the bounty hunter, she was hotter in real life. Nice tits.

"I might make an exception for a schutta like you. Go on. Get the hell out of here. Run off with your tail between your legs" she replied.

As he left, Brianna turned to Mira.

"Thank you for your assistance but it would have proved to be unnecessary" the Handmaiden told the bounty hunter.

The redhead rolled her eyes.

"Don't mention it" she said "Really, don't. I don't want anyone thinking I've gotten soft."

That made me laugh and doing so made the bounty hunter turn to look at me. She studied me as though memorising every aspect of my appearance.

"I just don't like to see women get harassed" Mira told me before turning to Brianna again. "You come here alone?".

Atton turned to face the hunter.

"No she's here with us" he said.

Atton slid off of his seat and began to look Mira over in the same way the redhead had appraised me only moments ago. He wasn't being pervy, he was assessing her as a potential threat.

"You want to be my escape?" he then said.

Given the way Mira had acted towards the Handmaiden I didn't think she cared for men much at all. Or possible she just didn't like drunken idiot men, and who would blame her.

"Not going to happen" was her answer.

She then turned to me and I felt her green eyes pierce me, it reminded of me of being studied by a cat.

"Your friend is trying to hit on me, which means that it's time to go. You all are obviously wet behind the ears when it comes to this whole Nar Shaddaa thing so allow me to give you a few pointers: don't go into any dark alleys, don't talk to anyone who doesn't talk to you first. In fact don't talk to anyone they are running a legitimate business, and don't mess with the Exchange" she advised "See ya"

Seemed like wise advice to me. Shame I wouldn't be following it.

(Line Break)

By this point in the evening Atton had decided to occupy himself with brainstorming ideas of how to get into Vogga's palace. Which was a collection of warehouses really.

Why we'd want to get into their escaped me at the moment, although there must have been a reason as to why we'd gotten onto this topic of conversation.

It would be simple enough for me to use the Force to make myself sober, I could do this quickly, and I would if I sensed danger, but if I'd wanted to be sober I wouldn't have started drinking.

"But that won't get us into Vogga's palace" Atton was now saying "Maybe we could drug some of his staff, and then dress up like doctors and we could do the whole healing thing and then we'd all get paid! Sounds like a plan to me!"

Actually that sounded good to me, but also totally pointless.

"We don't want his money" I reminded Rand "What did we want?".

I'd totally forgotten.

"We want fuel for the Citadel Station" the Handmaiden reminded.

Oh right, that had been it. Vogga the Hutt sold fuel, the Citadel needed a new source of fuel as the old one had gotten blown up.

"Whatever" said Atton "Just let me know when you come up with some scheme. Knowing you, your plan will probably involve us nearly dying".

With that he got up and began to weave his way through the crowd until he was out of sight. Hopefully he was either going to the bar or the refresher, I really didn't want him wandering off on his own.

"Must we stay here much longer?" the Handmaiden asked me.

She didn't have to stay here at all.

"Go if you want to" I told her "I plan to stay here and kill off some more of my brain cells".

Only a few million more to go I figured.

"I want you to take me back to the ship" the Handmaiden insisted "Please take me back".

Hearing that made me smile.

"You seem eager to get me back to the ship" I realised "Any reason for that?"

Before I could earn myself a slap, or possibly just an insult, Atton returned.

"I found our way to Vogga and it is a perfectly respectable, legal, and legitimate way to Vogga" he reported.

That wasn't actually what he's said, I was translating for my own benefit.

"What's the plan?" I wondered.

After he told me I turned to the Handmaiden.

"How good of a dancer are you?" I asked her.

"I've never danced in my life" she informed me.

Well that could be a problem.

"Would you dance if I wanted you to dance?" I asked her.

That shouldn't have worked, but it did. Came from being a Sith Lord, we were very good at getting people to do stuff.

"It shouldn't be too difficult," she replied. " Should I go and speak to him?"

"Just go and dance a little," Atton said while gesturing towards the dance floor "He's watching the floor for talent, so come with me. Let's dance".

Better him than me.

"I am not dancing with you!" Brianna snapped.

Atton didn't appear offended; only amused. And he seemed even more amused when gestured to me.

"Dance with his lordship here" he suggested "You know you want to".

Brianna looked at me.

"It's up to you" I said.

In response, Brianna reached over and took my hand, before leading me out onto the dance floor. I called upon the Force to refresh myself and to enhance the movements of my body. I'd never been a dancer but the Force allowed a person to do many different things and amazing things, it was just a matter of knowing how to utilise it.

After a while a Twi-lek male, one whose head wasn't too lumpy, came over to us.

"You dance well," said the talent scout, "for a human, that is. Your friend, Mr. Rand, has informed me that you might be interested in a proposition of sorts".

Well that hadn't taken long.

"What kind of proposition?" asked Brianna.

Hopefully he wasn't a pimp as well as a talent scout.

"An opportunity to dance before the most esteemed ruler of the Smuggler's Moon," he answered. "I am auditioning new dancers to entertain my master. Master Vogga is very… temperamental but enjoys new company, particularly if the company is both beautiful and graceful. I have been looking for those qualities in one dancer all day to no avail. The beautiful ones are clumsy and the graceful ones are ugly. But I see that Fate has brought me a lovely specimen who embodies all of the feminine graces. Are you interested?".

He spoke again, before the Handmaiden could answer.

"Are you interested in performing for the most illustrious Hutt this side of the moon? The job is quick, easy, and it pays well. All you have to do is put something on and dance a little when you arrive at the palace" the alien told her.

She turned to me rather than answer right away.

"If you truly believe that it will further our purpose here, I will do this for you" she said.

"Well the Citadel does need fuel" I stated "And Vogga has fuel".

Next I asked if it was possible to talk to the Hutt after the dance.

"I do not see why not" said the alien "You might have to make it quick. My master often enjoys a nap after watching his dancers".

Odd thing to make a person sleepy.

"I accept" the Handmaiden then said.

The blue skinned alien smiled.

"Excellent. I have a speeder waiting to take you to the palace. Unfortunately, Vogga is wary of unexpected company so it will be just the dancer and me. You can always come in after she is ready to dance and watch for yourself. I hope you gentlemen will understand" he said.

Well I'd need time to fully sober up anyway.

(Line Break)

A hand thrust a small parcel wrapped in black silk through the opening in the black curtain of the changing room.

"Put this on," said the slave dancer who had guided Brianna through the palace to the small chamber where the dancers prepared themselves to go onstage. "Hurry. You don't have much time".

Brianna took the parcel and it seemed to her that there wasn't anything folded within the square of silky material.

"Put what on?" the servant of Atris asked

"Just unfold the cloth" was the answer she was given.

She did so and after that she stared at the little red outfit in her hand. Then, with a resigned sigh, she slipped on the gold and red costume, folded her Echani garb and tucking it away into a little footlocker at her feet.

"Aren't you ready yet?" the other woman asked.

"I'm ready," said Brianna although she didn't feel very ready.

She stepped out of the curtained area and into the dim light of the main dancers' room. There were mirrors all of the wall but the light was so dim that Brianna couldn't even see her own reflection. For that, she was grateful.

The other dancers looked Brianna over with a critical air.

"Undo the braids," ordered one of the Hutt's slaves

"Tighten the straps on the top," advised another dancer who had just arrived.

The Handmaiden struggled to keep up with all the demands.

"Those shoes don't look as though they fit right," commented the one who had handed Brianna her costume. "Do you want a size smaller?"

"They're fine," the Handmaiden reassured her.

The dancer who seemed to be in charge simply shrugged.

"Whatever. It's not our skin if you trip" she replied.

Her voice then took on a more business-like tone

"Now that you're ready, you go into that room and wait to be summoned. When you are called for, you go out into the antechamber and you dance. You do not look at anyone, you do not talk to anyone. You are here to dance and that is all"

The handmaiden nodded and went into the room that the dancer had directed her to. There was a sheer curtain dividing the small space from the rest of the antechamber where Vogga and his guests were relaxing. She could hear laughter and music.

Then there was the sound of barking and yelping too from what sounded like kath hounds. Unable to resist, Brianna flicked aside one edge of the curtain and peered through the crack.

What she saw were dancers performing complicated routines and a crowd was cheering and jeering. There was also a Hutt laughing at the merriment. There were kath hounds baying at the dancers while lying at their master's feet.

Suddenly she was having second thoughts about all this, but when the time came for her to go out and dance, those concerns went away. She had a job to do, and she would do it.

(Line Break)

By the time I stepped out of the shower I was totally refreshed and able to focus on what was going on. My thoughts were now on the unconscious would-be assassin lying in the medical bay. Atton seemed wary of her and so did everyone else; they had good reason. She was the enemy after all.

After I had dried myself off and had changed into a clean outfit, I made my way to the Medical Bay. Well it was more of a medical room really, and the last time I'd spent any time in here it had been Bastillia lying on that bed.

"Has she woken up?" I asked Atton, who was standing beside the doorway.

Atton shrugged, as if he didn't really care. But the scoundrel's eyes were trained on the failed assassin, and one of his fingers was idly tapping the trigger of his blaster pistol.

Oddly the Miraluka didn't look like a Sith. Her robes were not those of a Sith. They were a vivid red with some kind of animal hide, an outfit that allowed minimal protection, but maximum mobility. Also a cowl covered the top half of her face.

Her pale skin, a contrast to her dark lips, showed no signs of darkside corruption, and she didn't feel evil when I sensed her in the Force, just broken.

"You know normally I don't pretend to know or even care what goes on in your twisted head, but this time I have to speak out" said Atton "She's a danger to everyone on this ship".

So was Kreia, and I was pretty sure the Handmaiden would try to kill us all if ordered. Although I couldn't be totally sure as she seemed to somewhat under my control, but Atris might have simply ordered her to act that way.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on her" I assured Rand.

He wasn't reassured.

"Is she special to you?" Rand asked.

Not at all.

"I don't know. I just have a feeling" I told him "She could be of use to us".

Atton decided to change the subject.

"Well if she's going to recover then she'll need some supplies" he told me "Medical supplies".

Given that I could rip out people's life force and use that to heal myself I'd never had to worry about healing supplies. Now that the ship had a crew again it was time to fix that.

"Handmaiden" I greeted upon spotting the warrior woman "I was just going to get some supplies, want to come with?".

Judging by the look on her face she wasn't interested in shopping.

"She is a threat to us," the Echani stated.

Well yeah, she was a Sith, albeit a terrible one given that I'd defeated her while drunk. Which was my own fault since I'd been the one to decide to go back to the bar after making a deal for Vogga's fuel.

Still Visas had been able to take down both Atton and the Handmaiden in short order, but that had been while using Force Powers, she was awful with a lightsabre I'd kicked her ass all the way back to my ship.

"I am not asking that she be harmed or interrogated, but she is of the Sith. And she has attacked us once. She should not be allowed to walk freely on the ship" the Handmaiden said.

That I agreed with, despite also being a Sith.

"Well keep an eye on her until I get back" I ordered "and if she does anything Sithy I'll kick her ass again".

The Handmaiden looked confused.

"Sithy?" she wondered.


	8. Chapter 8

_"A bold claim, but you are not Sith. You wear the trappings of the Sith, you fight like the Sith… but this can be imitated, however. You lack a vital quality found in all Sith. Sith have no fear, and I sense much fear in you"_

\- Count Dooku

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 8**

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I entered the room.

"I am able to serve," the Miraluka said as she stood up to face me "If we enter battle, I will fight and die alongside you".

Wow she was so emo.

"That's not what I said" I corrected "I asked, how you are feeling".

Not that I needed to enquire verbally, after all I had the Force.

"I… I have not heard that question in some time" the young Sith told me "My flesh is healed, if that's the answer you seek".

Actually her state of mind concerned me more than her body. They had great medical science in this galaxy, so I knew that she'd been fixed up.

"Okay now that the pleasantries are over, let's start at the beginning" I decided "What is your name and home world?".

"I am Visas Marr," she replied. "My home world was the Miraluka colony of Katarr, which was destroyed by my Master".

All this I knew, but it was best to double check as things could be different from what I remembered from the game.

"In the med bay, I noticed that you have a lot of scars. Who hurt you?" I desired to know.

Could be self inflicted, she seemed emo enough.

"The scars are many, and their causes equally so," Visas said, dismissively "It is of no importance."

Systematic abuse perhaps. Torture?

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"I found you through the Force," she told me.

Not very helpful.

"Who sent you?" I asked next.

As if I didn't know.

"I serve my Master. I am an emissary, a scout." Visas told me as she moved to sit on her bed "My Master was aware of a disturbance in the Force, and tasked me with finding you".

Most likely so I could be brought before him. He would want to chow down on a powerful Force User like myself.

"There is little my Master does not know, and that you eluded his sight for so long is significant, but I do not know why" she said "I was sent to track you down, to bring you back to him as a captive".

As expected.

"If your master has trouble detecting me, how were you able to find me?" was my next question.

"There is much I see that my Master cannot," Visas answered. "I fear it is because of my nature, the nature of my race. My people spend their lives seeing the galaxy, the energy streaming off stars, the growth of life, and all things touched by the Force".

I had more to enquire about, I still needed to make sure I had all the correct information.

"Anything else you can tell me about your master" I said.

"His vessel roams the borders of known space, and even I do not know where he travels, until he calls for me" she told me, after she took a breath. "You will meet my master. It is inevitable, I have seen it. And when you stand before him, and realise what you face, you must be prepared".

Since I wasn't the Exile I had to wonder why Visas believed I could stand up to her master, she could just be so desperate that she was willing to grab onto any life line. Or something else was going on.

"That's all I need to know for now" I told her "In a short while, I'll have one of the crew bring you a meal. We will talk more later on."

Visas stood up before I could leave.

"Forgive me, but before you go, I must ask. Why did you spare my life?" she wondered.

Again I didn't lie.

"Because I have need of you" I told her "Your lightsabre is on the workbench, I fixed it".

And with that I left.

(Line Break)

Atton, the Handmaiden and I sat around the holodisplay in the main hold, we were eating a late breakfast.

"Has the Sith said anything yet?" the Handmaiden wondered.

I nodded.

"Lots" I told her "She wants to serve me".

Well she'd not actually told me that, but it was implied.

"I'll bet she does," Atton remarked, "That would make it so much easier to get another shot at you".

Visas didn't want me dead, she wanted to bring me before her master, then either he would consume me, which was what her master wanted and why he'd sent her to me, or I would kill him, which would free Visas, so either way she benefited. A very Sith plan, and if that was her attention I was impressed by her cleverness.

"She can stay" I told the crew.

No one took this well.

"Why? She just tried to kill you!" protested the Handmaiden.

Not so.

"Her orders were to capture me, and when we duelled, her heart wasn't in it. I think she wanted to die" I told the warrior woman "Those scars of hers, she's been tortured, and had other nasty things done to her".

Visas shouldn't have been that easy to beat, her master must have been leeching of her, possibly like Kreia was leeching off me. Now that there was some distance between them she should get stronger.

"And you think you can turn her," Atton asked skeptically "bring her round to our side".

What was our side? After all I was a Sith I wasn't allied with the Jedi this time and I didn't care for the Republic.

"I'm not sure," I admitted "I'm going to continue talking to her, and see where things lead."

Next I turned to Handmaiden.

"After you've eaten, could you take a meal in to Visas" I requested, making sure it didn't sound like an order "Talk to her if you can, she might say or do something around you that she wouldn't around me".

The Handmaiden nodded curtly.

(Line Break)

"You have befriended the seer. The Sith carry the battle to you, and you spare them! And as we travel, the empty places of this ship are filled" Kreia complained.

Well someone wasn't a morning person. Although I suspected her bad mood had more to do with me being a disappointment to her. I highly doubted the old witch approved of me going out and getting drunk.

"I hope your thoughts on this matter are clear," said Kreia. "If you take her on as a servant, you know that many Sith meet their end at the hands of their apprentices. It is not something I would wish to see happen to you".

An apprentice? Well that made sense. I'd defeated Visas, so she might want to learn from me, it wasn't as if I could be a worse master to her than her current one. Besides she would want to keep me alive long enough to get me to her master so I wouldn't have to worry about her stabbing me in the back before then.

"Like the servant of Atris, this one… has other masters" the old witch was now saying "She has ties to darkness".

Well I wasn't exactly the light.

"I intend to use her against her master, if possible" I admitted to Kreia "If she is connected to him than I can follow that connection or even use it against him, if I can figure out how"

Kreia chuckled.

"Wisdom and folly, I see" she said as she crossed her arms. "Now, you came to see me for a reason. What is it that drives you?".

There was something.

"When Visas attacked me, she did something to me" I told the witch.

I'd been drunk at the time, but you sober up fast when in a lightsabre duel. Visas was just plain bad when it came using a sabre, but she had good command of her Force Powers, which she'd used on me.

"She did nothing to you," said Kreia. "She has forced this upon you, but such crude methods are the way of the Sith".

Kreia knelt on the deck and motioned for me to sit down in front of her.

"Close your eyes" she instructed.

I did and soon Kreia's voice began to sound strange, distant, as if echoing through a cave.

"Feel this ship around you" she instructed "Ignore distractions, and focus on my voice. Now, stretch out".

I did just that.

"The breathing of the blinded one as she meditates in the dark" was what she said next "Now listen deeper. Past her breathing, and listen".

I'd done this before, tried to read surface thoughts, but this was different. It was much easier now.

As my feet walk from the ashes of Katarr, I shall not fear, for in fear, lies death, and…

"You are strong indeed" Kreia was now saying "What you heard were surface thoughts only, but it is something that masters have trained for, for years, and never learned".

The old witch had more to say.

"To listen to the thoughts of another is much like attempting to see the universe with only your eyes. It is equally limiting" I was told "You have brushed the surface thoughts of another. It is a start, but there is more. Calm yourself. Silence your own thoughts, keep them still"

Kreia's voice began to fade away, echoing within my mind once more.

"Stretch out, feel the ship around you. Strip away the metal, and see the souls and minds of those that walk its corridors".

From the first movement flows the second… strike, repeat, circle one's opponent… repeat, faster, quicker… if Father had been faster… if only Father had been faster… if I was faster, I would no longer be the last of my sisters…

Switch the face of the +1/-1 card, the totals are nine-ten. Switch the face of the +2/-2 card, the total is eight-eleven. Switch…

As my feet walk from the ashes of Katarr, I shall not fear, for in fear, lies death, and…

Now do you hear me? Truly hear me?

"You have taken the first steps on a much larger road" the witch told me.

This time, Kreia actually spoke, which brought me out of the meditation.

"That was intense" I said.

Kreia nodded.

"Now try again, reach out and really listen" she instructed.

(Line Break)

Visas was not expecting to meet someone as she went to recover her weapon. The woman didn't seem like much of a threat, at first glance, but a second look would reveal her to be deceptively lean and strong. Her stance was straight and proud and she held her staff casually at her side. She was a fighter; the Miraluka did not doubt that.

"What is it you want, Sith?" the woman asked.

The words were harsh and clipped, as though the fighter was biting back the impulse to say something much worse.

"I am only here to retrieve something of mine" Visas answered, careful to keep her voice neutral.

There was nothing on the workbench.

"Looking for this?" asked the warrior woman pulled out a small metal cylinder from within her clothes.

It was a lightsabre, her lightsabre.

"Yes" Visas said.

The woman made no move to give the weapon to Visas, nor to use it to challenge her. She merely held it, while examining it intently.

"So this is the weapon of the Sith," she whispered.

"It is also the weapon of the Jedi" Visas stated.

The female warrior's head snapped up to look at her.

"But you are no Jedi" she said.

"I do not serve the Sith now" Visas stated.

The woman bristled.

"You serve him? You tried to kill him! What do you even know about him" the warrior woman demanded to know.

"I know that he asked me to retrieve my lightsaber" Visas said calmly.

The fighter's gaze fell to the lightsaber once more.

"He wanted you to have this?" she wondered.

Visas felt a twinge of impatience.

"Do you know how to use it?" she asked.

"No," the woman admitted grudgingly. "I am not trained in its use. I was only admiring its design as a weapon. Its craftsmanship"

"Will you let me have it or not?" Visas asked.

She hesitated.

"You may use it to harm him if I give it to you" she said

"He chose to give it to me. Would you go against his word?" Visas wondered.

This was a question the seer actually wished to know the answer.

"Fine," the woman responded icily, before tossing the weapon.

Visas caught it easily despite being blind.

(Line Break)

As I sat up, I wondered a few things, one of which was if it might be possible to get Visas and Brianna into some of wrestling match, maybe involving a pool of something that would stick to their bodies and be enjoyable to lick off afterwards.

I'd just listened to their exchange, and I'd heard their thoughts rather than their words. What they'd said hadn't been important, words were wind, no what mattered was what they'd been thinking and feeling.

Mostly it was been female terrortial stuff, they were both interested in me, and for different reasons. While the Sith never had trouble finding followers I was a little surprised that my companions were so invested in me.

I also had to wonder if it was possible to influence people's thoughts as well as listen to them, if so it would explain why Kreia spent all her time alone, she wasn't monitoring everyone she influencing them too. And if she could do it, then so could I.

With that in mind I sat back down and let the Force flow through me.

(Line Break)

Kreia stepped into the cargo hold

"I know what troubles you, servant of Atris. And I have come because I have seen it too" she said.

The Handmaiden hide her surprise well. Kreia was rarely seen outside of the space she had claimed as her own.

"Seen what?" she asked.

"You know of what I speak" replied the old witch "He spared the Sith."

There was no reason she should be afraid of an old woman the Handmaiden told herself, yet her heart was just pounding in her chest just because Kreia had startled her. Still, she could neither explain nor dismiss the feeling that there was something unsettling about the old woman

"He trusts her" the warrior woman said.

To an extent this was true.

"But you believe he shouldn't, as I believe he shouldn't" Kreia was now saying "And if his trust should prove to be misplaced, it is you and I who must protect him. Who must stop the threat before it becomes a threat."

The Handmaiden thought, trying to determine if Kreia's intentions were sincere.

"Why come to me?" Brianna wondered.

"The pilot may try, but we both know a Sith's skills are far beyond that of a fool's" Kreia replied "And I must be able to count on you, Atton can not be counted upon".

Brianna considered the situation.

"I admit," Kreia said grudgingly, "that although I am his mentor, he does not care for me much. He trusts you. He listens to you. He likes you".

Brianna wasn't certain how to feel about that, she found Gothic to be... well she wasn't sure, but she did want to find out.

"You hold a certain...influence with him that I don't have," Kreia continued. "But if that influence is not enough, we must do what is right for him".

The Handmaiden nodded her head, and the old woman took that as an agreement.

(Line Break)

Once more I entered her room, when I did Visas rose and turned to face me.

"My life for yours" she said.

What did that even mean?

"How are you settling in?" I asked.

Visas had to spend some time thinking about my question, I could tell that she wasn't used to people talking to her like this.

"I do not think I am welcome here" she finally said.

No surprise there.

"So maybe the others don't like you too much," I said, "Don't take it too personally; they can hardly stand each and you just happen to be the new addition to our ragtag little bunch. You'll get used to it. And they'll get used to you".

Or they'd kill each other.

"Perhaps," was all Visas could say.

This was when I got down to business.

"Anyway I'm heading out to the refugee sector" I told the Sith "I might kill a few people, blow some stuff up, want to come along?".

Given that she was a Sith that might be like asking her out on date.

"I am ready to serve," she said.

She made for the doorway and I stepped aside to let her pass. Mostly so I could check out her ass.

(Line Break)

The crew was once again gathered in the main hold.

"The droid's the one who picked up the message-he's got it all ready to display" Atton informed us.

T3 beeped and cued the holodisplay, which projected an image of a Quarren in expensive business clothing.

"Lord Gothic, I regret this message has taken so long in reaching you, but I only recently became aware of your presence on Nar Shaddaa" the holographic image said with a bow "I am Visquis, a representative of an… exchange of shipping interests here on the smuggler's moon. I am extending an invitation to you to join me in my private lounge within the Jekk'Jekk Tarr, where we may speak without being disturbed. I wish to discuss something of mutual interest concerning your prospects for the future!. Oh, and do come alone-one human in my presence is more than enough".

With that the hologram faded out.

"Well, good thing it's not a trap," Atton deadpanned.

"It may be a traps, but traps work both ways," said Kreia. "The choice is yours. If you go, you will have to go alone, and unarmed"

I thought about it.

"The Jekk'Jekk Tarr is an alien bar," Atton said. "It's just off the docks, near one of the far traffic pylons. He's got you at a disadvantage there, though. The place is filled with cyanogen gas. One whiff of that, and it'll be the last breath you take. On top of that, a human walking around in there isn't going to get a warm reception".

I decided what to do.

"Well I could walk into a trap, or we could change the Hawk's ID so that it registers as one of Voggo's freighters, which Goto has been going after" I said "Then once were docked we can board his ship and kill the guy, that way there's no more bounty".

Might as well cut to the chase as it were.


	9. Chapter 9

" _Perhaps your way lies with the Sith... and the heart of their darkness. To recognize what strength is, and bring that strength to those that follow you... and those that defy you. The way of a Sith Lord._ "―Kreia

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 9**

I entered a large room that had several black floating droids within it, I also found a projected holographic image of a human who seemed to be waiting for me.

"Welcome aboard," the man said in what didn't sound to be a natural voice. "You should feel honoured. Not many get the chance to visit my yacht".

I had been expecting mines, combat droids and turrets, but all those had been turned off. Clearly the owner of this fine vessel had known who was coming on board and had prepared the way.

"Goto, I presume?" I asked rhetorically.

The holoimage nodded.

"Indeed. And you are Lord Gothic" the hologram said "It hasn't been easy to track you down. I would like to thank you for agreeing to speak with me. You coming here voluntarily does make things so much easier".

I noticed then that T3 wasn't with me even though he was suppose to be. The Handmaiden and Visas were, they hung back, as for everyone else I'd left on the ship in case we needed to make a quick getaway.

"As you may be aware, I am a representative of an organisation whose business is focused around non-sanctioned trading, here in Y'Toub system and Republic space" Goto told me.

I tried not to role my eyes.

"You're a smuggler," I said.

The human image frowned.

"Please, let's not be gauche," Goto requested.

I would attempt not to be.

"My apologies," I said "Now what did you want to speak to me about?".

"There is a question that I want to ask you," Goto replied. "Are you a Jedi?".

I shook my head.

"Unlike some of the Sith I have never been a Jedi" I informed Goto "Nor do I wish to be one".

The image frowned.

"That is unfortunate," Goto said. "Though perhaps not surprising since I have seen your records".

Well if he'd seen my records then he should have known I'd never been a Jedi, but perhaps he'd assumed that I had been one as I had changed my name upon joining the Sith. This wasn't an uncommon practice, and some Jedi may have done it.

"If you really need a Jedi then I can't help you" I told Goto.

The hologram didn't move or make noise for a while.

"No matter. If you agree to take on this job for me, then I will reward you with a reasonable sum of credits" Goto was now saying.

Right now I was feeling as if I'd skipped a page in the story of my life.

"Job?" I ask.

I was pretending as if I didn't know exactly what he wanted.

"Yes, I have a job for you," Goto explained. "It is why I have gone to considerable lengths to bring you here. Well, it wasn't you in particular that I wanted. I just needed a Jedi and as I am a member of something that the Jedi typically disapprove of, simply asking for help did not seem a wise course of action, however I doubt a Sith Lord will have any problems working with me".

I was confused by something.

"Your methods of recruitment could use some work, by placing a bounty on Jedi you've done much to help wipe out the Order "I pointed out. "And it was already weakened form years of war and…".

Well there was no need to mention the other Dark Lords.

"An unfortunate side effect," Goto conceded. "I had specified that the Jedi were to be brought to me alive but if people will not listen then nothing can be done. Even only paying half price for dead Jedi didn't seem to help. I would have refused to pay at all but being seen to go back on your word doesn't do you many favours. And besides, if a Jedi can be brought down by common bounty hunters then they are not suitable for the task that I have in mind".

That made some sense, if only a little.

"So what task can I assist you with?" I asked.

If he was going to pay me to save the galaxy that made doing so far more tempting.

"There is something precious to me that must be protected. I have tried to do so alone, but the facts have shown that I cannot do it by myself," Goto revealed. "The Republic is broken and I need it to be fixed".

I smiled.

"Its amusing to hear a crime lord say that" I told the hologram.

The image was not amused.

"Just because I dislike some of the Republic's trading policies doesn't mean that I want to see it collapse" Goto commented "And it will. Within six months, the Republic will be destroyed not by war or secession, but because of the collapse of its infrastructure. Though many believe otherwise, it was the Sith who really won the Jedi Civil War".

We did? I wasn't aware of that. The Sith empire Raven built hadn't lasted without him.

"The Jedi Civil War left the Republic on the brink of collapse and it hasn't recovered sufficiently in the years since it ended" I was informed "The Republic was recovering slowly, but the events on Peragus have set into motion a chain of events that are undoing all of that".

Perhaps I should feel bad about that, but I didn't since I wasn't at all to blame.

"I have been studying this problem for weeks now and no logical solution is forthcoming. I am beginning to believe that there is not one and that is why my search for a Jedi is even more pressing" Goto explained "When nothing predictable is readily available, it is time to turn to unconventional methods".

Well hiring a Sith Lord was very unconventional.

"There is something moving in this galaxy that is beyond my powers to predict and my ability to see" Goto was now telling me "I believe that it is some remnant of the Sith, but I have been unable to determine the source. It has been striking at key figures throughout the Republic for some time and it has also somehow been destroying worlds such as Katarr where many Jedi were lost. I cannot find any pattern and can only speculate that perhaps the Jedi were in some way involved".

So Goto didn't know what the Dark Lords were up too.

"Well if you want to destroy the Sith, good luck with that" I said to the hologram "We tend to be hard to stamp out".

The holoimage shook its head.

"No, I'm not particularly invested in the destruction of the Sith," Goto clarified. "The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith is tearing apart the galaxy, as this last war so neatly illustrated. If one side is no longer present then there would be nothing more to fight about".

Alas it wasn't that simple.

"There's always the risk that a Jedi will fall even if there are no Sith to tempt them" I warned Goto.

My words were no heeded.

"The galaxy needs a break from these constant conflicts" he replied "So either the Jedi or the Sith have to be destroyed".

A few times I had considered taking out both groups and letting the slate be wiped clean. Of course if I wiped out the Jedi then no one would be able to stop the Sith in the Unknown Regions when they invaded.

On the other hand even if I did kill all the Jedi Master new followers of the light would rise up before long even as new dark siders did. That was just the way it worked, but in the short term taking out both groups would give the Republic a break from all the wars.

"You would be the one stopping one side or even both so the decision is yours," Goto said diplomatically.

Well since I was trying to stop the Sith anyway it made sense to get paid for it.

"Alright I'll get right to work on stopping the Sith," I told the hologram.

As for killing the Jedi Masters, well Kreia would take care of that.

"Ah, that is where we are at a cross-purpose," Goto said apologetically. "I can't set you free".

Say what?

"If you can't set me free then how in the world am I supposed to be able to help you stop the Sith?" I asked.

Goto hesitated.

"You're a destabilising influence, I'm afraid," the holoimage said.

Since when?

"What do you mean I'm a destabilising influence," I questioned.

I was soon told.

"You began the fall of the Republic when you destroyed the Peragus mining facility," Goto accused. "And since then you've disrupted rule of the Exchange here on Nar Shaddaa".

I gritted my teeth.

"Peragus was not my fault!" I hotly debated.

"Wasn't it?" Goto asked rhetorically. "Peragus was just fine until you showed up. Then within a matter of days it blew up, and took out the fuel supply of many worlds with it".

Well that was true, from a certain point of view.

"The HK-50 assassin droids that you employed are the reason Peragus was destroyed. One of them told the miners about your bounty so they planned to turn me over to the Exchange. Then the HK-50 killed everyone in Peragus to stop that from happening, and when I woke up he attempted to kill me as well. All for your bounty. I think you bear far more of the blame than I do".

"That assassin droid acted on its own and did not blow up anything," Goto insisted.

True, not directly.

"No," I conceded. "But neither did I, and because I was incapacitated by your bounty hunter, a Sith managed to track me to the facility and blew up the asteroid field trying to get at me, if you'd never posted that bounty I'd have left Pergaus long before any Sith showed up".

The holoimage wavered for a moment.

"I need to think on this," Goto declared before promptly disappearing.

Now it was time to leave. I could sense danger, and I had the feeling that while I'd been talking that T3 had been off causing trouble.

(Line Break)

"Kriff!" swore Atton. "They must think Goto is using our ship to escape. Hang on, I've got to lose them".

He punched the throttle and started up a series of evasive manoeuvres. From what I could tell the shuttles being used by the Bounty Hunters couldn't keep up, and Atton managed to gain enough distance between us and them so that we could vanish from their sensors.

"I can't believe we just blew up Goto's yacht!" Mira yelled as the ship moved through the atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa"That's going to destabilise crime throughout this whole sector."

There was no need to use the Force to sense how little anyone else gave a fuck.

"Yeah, well, you'll understand if I hold back the tears" Atton said.

"You don't understand. Crime in the Y'Toub system,it's like the economy." Mira told us "Plus the power vacuum? Even if Vogga gets up and running again, the system is going to be feeling the effects for years to come".

I also had no fucks to give. I'd just fought my way through what had seemed like an army of bounty hunters, and that meeting had been rather pointless. Goto hadn't impressed me at all, and since I was going to stop the Sith anyway, if only to save my own hide then he didn't really need a Jedi.

Getting paid to aid the Republic would have been nice, but I was going to it anyway because the Republic needed to exist to fight the Sith within the Unknown Regions. Without the Republic they'd steamroll over the galaxy and the Emperor would kill everything.

"Plus we didn't find that Jedi Master with the weird name," Atton mentioned.

Now that the ship was on the ground we made our way back to the main hold.

"Zez-Kai Ell? Um… well, that's not true," Mira said. "I already found him. Actually, he found me first. First he paid me to set up hiding places for him; later he hired me to watch over you, until he could meet with you".

He should get his money back. Mira had not been useful it watching my back.

"He's in a safe house of mine" the red head then told me "I promised I'd meet up with him there if we ran into trouble".

Now I just had to decide if I'd kill him or let Kreia do it later.

"If you thought to escape me so easily, you would be wrong" a familiar voice said.

One of Goto's security spheres suddenly decloaked right next to the holodisplay. Several of the crew reached for weapons; but I called them off. The droid then turned to face me and projected the usual hologram.

"It is now quite apparent that I have miscalculated" the machine told me "Even if I were to recapture you, and it would not be cost-effective to do so. It seems my best option is to assist you, much as I dislike being unable to control the situation. As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift: this droid. It will serve you well on your journey. While not designed for front-line combat, this unit is a highly capable scout, and is armed with blaster weaponry. It is also equipped with an advanced cyberwarfare suite, which will allow it dominate the programming of other droids".

Again I found it hard to care. I needed another drink, it had been a long day, and I still had a Jedi Master to met.

(Line Break)

Mira and I walked through the streets heading towards her safe house.

"So, were you raised here on Nar Shaddaa?" I asked the bounty hunter.

Since the red head had decided to tag along I'd decided to get to know her. If only to pass the time.

"Yeah, more or less," Mira said with a shrug. "I wasn't born there, just ended up there".

Like so many others.

"What happened to your family?" I asked "No one with anywhere else to go would come to Nar Shaddaa so I assume you don't have anyone".

Mira winced.

"Well, the war happened, the first one, against the Mandalorians. Had family right up until the end" she told me "It's not really a new story, you hear it all over the galaxy. After Revan crushed the Mandalorians, we didn't have anywhere to go".

Now I was surprised.

"You're a Mandalorian?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I am, as much as any slave becomes a Mandalorian. They took prisoners on every world they conquered to bolster their ranks, and they took a lot of worlds" I was told "They mostly used me to carry ammo packs and munitions. Toward the end of the war, they needed everyone they could get. They taught me to fight, to hunt, to survive. I was part of their squad, even when I was young. Everyone served as part of the unit, and I felt like I had a place there".

Mira stopped for a moment.

"After Malachor, it didn't really matter anymore, the Mandalorians lost" she the added.

I sought for something else to say.

"What happened between you and that Hanharr?" I wondered.

He'd tried to get in my way while I'd been trying to get off Goto's ship, that hadn't gone well for the Wookie.

"I didn't kill him once. Biggest mistake ever" the red head said " I made someone mad. Mad enough for them to send Hanharr after me. Turns out, they were even able to get him cheap. He'd heard about me, and wanted to hunt me down. For sport. He tried to box me down in vents beneath the Nar Shaddaa docks, and he'd set one too many proximity mines to cover the escape routes. I think he'd hoped to drive me into the mines and let them do the work, or that I'd be too scared to try and walk through them. But I know mines and munitions, from when I was a kid. It was pretty easy to broadcast a signal to blind their sensor receptors for a minute or two. I'd just made it to safety when he hit the first mine. The blast levelled the entire ventilation section, and Hanharr was caught right in the middle".

Mira paused, as if remembering.

"And he survived" she then said "Barely. He was crawling around, blinded from the flash and the plasma burns. I had the drop on him, and he knew it. I suppose I should have killed him, but I couldn't do it. He was in pain, and he was helpless. So I dragged him out of there, enough to get him to safety"

Mira shook her head.

"That's why Hanharr was after me" she said next "I don't pretend to understand it, but among his people, they have these codes of honour. But somewhere along the line Hanharr's got twisted. His people form these things called 'life debts.' If you save the life of one of them, they pledge themselves to you, but he hates... I mean he hated every other living thing in the galaxy, so pledging himself to someone else, especially a human, was unbearable. So when I saved his life, it was the worst thing I could do, it was like slavery, but it was in his head".

I remembered Big Z, but I'd hardly say I knew any Wookie, still I doubted there were many of them like Hanhar

"The safe house is a block further down. My client is waiting for you. Have your meeting" Mira instructed.

(Line Break)

I reached behind the HK's head and powered it on. There were a few random-sounding clicks and whirs, then the droid's eyes slowly lit up red.

"Diagnostic: HK-47 activated. Running checks through primary systems" it said.

I waited.

Assessment: It appears I have suffered considerable damage. My central control cluster seems to have taken several repeated blaster shots at close range. How crude".

This was something I couldn't remember. I was only able to assume that when the Sith had boarded the ship they'd shot my droid.

"Are you okay?" I enquired of the killer robot.

HK angled his head down.

"Answer: if by 'okay,' you mean the loss of almost all my existing assassination protocols, then no, I am not okay. Furthermore, I seem to have no discretionary control over my vocabulator, causing me to reveal my true function as an assassin droid of unrivalled sophistication" it said.

HK wasn't suppose to tell people that it was an assassin droid. I'd have to see if I could fix that.

"Any idea what happened to you?" I asked.

"Answer: It seems you would know more than I," said HK. "My memory centres are experiencing some setbacks. Reflection: Of course, for some reason, that does not alarm me. I suspect I have suffered such repeated memory failures before. Still, the loss of my higher combat and assassination protocols is shameful and degrading".

That was disappointing, I needed the extra fire power what with the Sith chasing me and it hadn't been cheap to fix HK up.

"I should tell you that some droids that look just like you have attacked me" I informed the robot.

"Answer: Oh, that is impossible, master," HK said quickly. "If I were out to kill you, we would not be speaking, even with my reduced capabilities. And regardless, I am a unique model. Why, even to think that there could be other versions of me is unacceptable"

T3 rolled forward, warbled, and activated his holoprojector. He played a recording of the time a HK droid had blasted it, back when I'd been trying to escape that blasted mining colony.

"Conclusion: You speak the truth, Master This discovery is also causing me some degree of anger. And humiliation" it said.

HK paced for a while, it was a very human thing for it to do.

Statement: I mean, I have only just been re-activated, only to find that there are sub-standard duplicates of me running all over the galaxy, corroding my good name. But if they are, in fact, hunting you, than I look forward to the opportunity to meet these units… and to educate them in proper assassination protocols".

That suited me just fine.

"So if we run into anymore of these droids you'll help me deal with them?" I asked.

"Answer: Yes, master. HK-47 is ready to serve".

I'd not realised how much I'd missed this killer robot.


	10. Chapter 10

" _The Darth title was more than just a symbol of power; it was a claim of supremacy. It was used by those Dark Lords who have sought to enforce their will on the other Masters. It was a challenge — a warning to bow down or be destroyed_ " ― Sith Blademaster, Kas'im

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 10**

"How'd it go?" Mira asked as we headed back to the ship "I didn't want to overhear any big Jedi secrets so I hung back. Everyone's gonna meet at the ship in about thirty minutes. I was hoping…"

Her voice suddenly grew hesitant.

"I was hoping I could be one of those people" she then quickly said.

No surprises here.

"Why do you want to join us?" I asked

The bounty hunter shrugged.

"From what I've heard, you've got quite the job to take care of, and I could help, you know. I'm good at a lot of stuff, mostly surviving. I'm sure that skill would come in handy for the kinds of things you're doing".

That I didn't doubt.

"Why is anyone else doing it?" Mira then asked

I considered this.

"They all have their reasons, I guess," I replied "The Handmaiden is spying on me for her mistress. Vasis wants to keep me alive until we reach her master. Kreia wants me to destroy the Sith she trained, and Atton... well I honsetly think he has nothing better to do".

I could tell that Mira was confused.

"You could ask them yourself, but I doubt I'd get a straight answer from most of them" I told the red head.

For some reason she wasn't discouraged.

"Then welcome aboard, Mira" I said.

The bounty hunter tried not to look too pleased as the two of us caught up with Visas and Atton, but shew couldn't hide her excitement from me. But only because I had the Force.

(Line Break)

Within the Starboard dormitory of the Ebon Hawk, Visas Marr and I meditated together. Well she meditated, I was too distracted to focus.

"What is it that clouds your thoughts?" She asked.

I stroked my beard, which I noted needed trimming, as I considered the answer.

"Do you ever feel like your being watch, when inside this ship I mean?" I asked

I was still getting the feeling of being watched, and I wondered if it was just me who sensed it. I'd theoried that perhaps someone was reaching out through the Force in an attempt to sense me, but that wouldn't explain why I felt the way I did. The feeling came and went, and while it could be one of Kreia's mind games I didn't belivie it to be so.

"My lord I have given myself to you, mind, body, and soul. What I feel does not matter, so long as I serve you" Visas said.

A short, simple answer, that wasn't really an answer.

"That's not the question I asked, Visas" I replied.

Rather unexpectly the Sith assassin moved forward to kiss me, and she did I ran my hand down her back, and gently cupped her ass.

"If I've given my body to you, then there's no need for me to remain clothed, is there?" she said.

It seemed that she wanted to distract me from my worrying thoughts. I didn't know why and I stopped caring as soon I started pulling at Visas' clothes. Piece by piece, she was slowly exposed to my view. Her breasts were two handfulls of fun. She was slim around the waist, and her ass, as pale as the rest of her, was curved wondefully. There was a small tangle of black hair below her stomach, she'd have to do something about that.

As Visas began working off my clothes, I took the time to run my hands up and down her body, feeling every inch of her soft and supple breasts. I toyed with her nipples, rubbing them gently between my forefinger and thumb, and then not so gently. Which resulted in some soft moans which I enjoyed hearing.

Then my hands wandered down, squeezing her ass. It was firm, and the skin was so soft, as she was all over.

"I have wanted this ever since you permitted me to stay" she whispered into my ear,

As she grabbed my cock and started lowering herself onto, she moaned quietly. Once it was firmly inside her, she started sliding up and down on it, her juices quickly coating my shaft.

As we fucked, I felt some of what Visas was feeling, briefly, through the Force Bond we were slowly forming. Her moans, and flushed red cheeks would have clued me into what she was feeling regradless.

Her body shook gently as she continued riding my cock, and soon she was panting heavily as she sped up. Next she slipped a hand down between her legs, toying with herself as she neared climax.

Sitting up straight, and throwing her head back, she thrusted herself down several more times, her legs shaking as she did, then she reached her orgasm, she couldn't fake one with me. I could sense her climax. Once she had finished she stopped movingm and was now breathing deeply in order to catch her breath.

"My turn, I said.

I guided her towards the wall, and then I guided her movements so that she was soon facing the bulkhead. Without being asked or gudided she stuck her hips out toward me, while leaning forward against the wall for support.

Once she was in place I slowly pushed myself inside her, and placed my hands on her hips. I started thrusting, slowly and gently at first, but after a sort time I picked up the pace

I only stopped to slap her ass, and to admire the handprints I made, it was very noticeable due to her pale flesh, and her ass bounced gently every time I smacked her rear end.

As fun as that was, as I enjoyed displaying my domiance, I was soon fucking her again and her moaning grew more intense. I fucked her vigorously, and climaxed once more. Clearly she liked what I was doing, that or the females of her species were just easier to please than the human women I'd done this sort of thing with.

I soon finished as well, and once I was done I sank back to the floor while Visas scurried off to go clean up.

(Line Break)

"The Jedi Order has been finished," Sion announced after striding on to his bridge uninvited. "I did what you with all your power you could not."

 **"You would not be wise to underestimate my power Sion,"** Nihilus replied.

"There is more," Sion continued. "Darth Traya yet lives. You did not kill her as you assumed."

Nihilus found it hard to focus. His hunger was beginning to growl within him, screaming to be filled.

 **"I'm not surprised. She was always the strongest of us. That was why you could not defeat her without my assistance"  
**

"Our alliance is finished," Sion declared. "I have no need of you."

 **"As if you could have wiped an entire group of Jedi in one single day, you will always be dependent on me and my power"** **Nihilus said.  
**

The hole within him that was his hunger was growing worse, widening and screaming to be sated.

"I have never needed you," Sion countered.

With that he drew his crimson bladed lightsaber and attacked. Nihilus fed from the all the gathered Sith Assassins that Sion had brought with him. For a moment he felt the satisfaction that he always felt for a short time afte he fed. Yet it was as if each feeding took away a part of his essence.

Then he tried to feed on Sion. He reached in and attempted to feed, but found no pulsing blue life to feed on. Instead, he felt a deep hatred that burned fiery hot within him. Just as he was dependent on his hunger, Sion's hatred was the only power that kept him from dying. Thus he couldn't feed upon Sion, but with the power he gained from feeding on life Nihilus couldn't be defeated. Stalemate.

 **"Do not test my patience further Sion,"** Nihilus warned

Sion did not reply, instead turned away, and soon he walked off the bridge. Nihilus let him go. He was certain to Sion would not try again any time soon.

(Line Break)

"What do you want, Kreia?" she asked.

Visas Marr did not look up from where she sat, cross-legged on the floor of the small room that had been provided for her. She did not need to turn to look at Kreia, she was blind, her eyes were nothing more than a useless remnant of a time when her species had been able to see more than others could imagine.

Instead, she watched the world through the Force, and the Force told her that her master's teacher was standing in the doorway, she was shrouded and as difficult to perceive as always.

"I wished to speak with you" the old woman said, her tone of voice hard to measure "Regarding your training under my student".

Now the Sith assassin was curoius, she and Gothic hadn't actually done any training, so Kreia had to be referring to other activity they'd gotten up to.

"What of it?" Visas said quietly

This time Kreia's tone of voice was not hard to judge.

"You will not bother him with your pathetic lusts" the old woman said with anger "He has greater concerns that your animal needs".

Visas surged to her feet, feeling the Dark Side fill her as she got ready to fight.

"How dare you dictate to me," she almost hissed at Kreia. "You are an old, feeble woman. You will leave now and speak no more of this. What transpires between Lord Gothic and myself is none of your concern. Teach him what tattered remnants of power remain to you, and stay out of our business".

The sith witch did not back down.

"I think not." Kreia said as her lips curled in a scowl. "You forget your place, tool of Nihilus. I think it past time you were reminded".

(Line Break)

"I don't like the fact that you have chosen the Sith world to be our next destination," commented Kreia. "You are not ready and neither are your companions".

This was not something I wanted to heard.

"I will do as I please" I told the old woman "And I have my reasons for going there next. Onderon is in a difficult political situation and Dantooine has been a mess ever since the Sith fleet destroyed the Jedi enclave. I have no desire to get involved with those worlds, well not yet anyway".

Kreia's lips curled into a smirk.

"Something tells me that you may not like what the others find out about you when we reach Korriban" she said.

I had nothing to hide.

"So what?" I asked "I was a student at the Academy on Korriban. I graduated, I was posted as militry govenor of Tatooine, then when Revan showed up I joined up with her. I've never tried to hide my past".

With that I headed towards a quieter part of the ship. Only I didn't find any peace.

"I want her off of the ship" the warrior woman said "I still don't think that we can trust her".

Somehow I didn't think she was talking about Mira.

"I presume we're talking about Visas" I said.

The Handmaiden nodded.

"You presume correctly" she said next "She cannot be allowed to stay here".

Hadn't we already spoken about this?

"I can't let her go" I told the warrior woman "I'm going to need her when I face her Master".

Since Visas never called me Master I knew that she wasn't my apprentice, but should I defeat her Master that would change, and I was sure that when the time came that Visas would chose to serve me.

"That does not mean that she should be accepted as one of us" the Handmaiden argued "She should not be granted full access to the ship, should not be allowed to listen to our conversations, to our plans. She could be a spy for whoever sent her to us!"

Well she wasn't a spy in the strictest sense. Her goal was led to her master when the time was right, I doubted she was sending him information on my movements.

"I could say the same about you. You're a spy for Atris" I reminded the Handmaiden "Besides Visas is my concern, not yours".

It was fair to assume that the Handmaiden was rehashing this issue because she knew I'd fucked my fellow Sith.

"That does not mean that I have to trust her" she said.

I shrugged.

"Not my problem" I stated.

The Handmaidne then changed the issue to where we were going, and by this point I'd had enough.

"If I want to go to Korriban, I will go to Korriban. If I want Visas to stay aboard my ship, Visas will stay aboard my ship" I said to the Handmaiden "I am Darth Gothic, Dark Lord of the Sith. I will do as I please."

(Line Break)

I was passing by the cargo bay when I noticed something odd. I moved a little closer to Brianna, and I found myself fascinated by the clothes she held in her hands.

"Why do you have a Jedi robe?" I asked.

She soon told me.

"It was… it was my mother's. I do not know her name. My father hardly spoke of her but… there was this one day where I stole into my father's quarters on the Republic ship where we were staying and there was this beautiful woman leaving his room. I hid behind a cabinet and watched her go. In that moment, I think I knew who she was. Later I was in the laundry area of the ship; I was very young, but Echani children are hardly ever treated as mere children so I often went off by myself. There were several Jedi staying aboard the ship at the time and it was their laundry that was going through the system. I saw… I saw this pile of freshly laundered silver-grey robes in a pile on one of the machines".

She paused for a moment before carrying on.

"They were like the ones that the beautiful woman wore. I took one, just one set of robes, and I hid them from my father. He didn't know that I had them, not until years later when my sister found them buried in my footlocker in the room that she and I shared, and she brought them to him. I thought he would be angry, but he let me keep them. He said that my other sisters had dozens of trinkets of their mother's so why shouldn't have my own mother's robes. And since then, I cannot remember a time when I have traveled without them. I look at them, and I always remember her as she walked out of my father's room".

If I recalled correctly her mother was one of the Jedi who had gone to war with Revan.

"I don't even know why I am telling you this" the Handmaiden admitted.

Now I had a question.

"It sounds as if your sister wouldn't have wanted you to keep these robes" I said "Why is that".

Flushing slightly, she answered,

"They would rather I had nothing of my mother's" she told me "They call me the 'Last of the Handmaidens' not because I am youngest but because they feel that I am the least talented at the fighting arts. They hate the fact that I am different, that my mother is not theirs and that their mother is not mine".

To me that sounded like someone was Daddy's favourite.

"The only thing I have of her is myself. Myself and this robe" the Handmaiden was now saying "Because of that, no matter what my sisters do, I will never give either of those things up".

I pondered what to say next.

"You know the Force tends to run in families" I told her "Just something to think about".


	11. Chapter 11

_"Other fallen Jedi, not content to serve their comrades, struck out on their own, spreading the darkness. One such was Freedon Nadd. Nadd roamed the uncharted systems until he found a world he could dominate through the dark side. The planet was called…Onderon"_ ― From the holocron of Vodo-Siosk Baas

 **Sith Gothic**

 **Part 11**

To say I was annoyed would be bit of an understatement. I had ordered a course set for Korriban, only now we were at Onderon. I didn't need to ask to know that Kreia was somehow behind this.

She had been dead set against me going to Korriban, although I didn't know why, and I had no doubt that she'd manipulated Atton so that she could once again get her own way.

When the time came I would enjoy killing the old witch, but that time wasn't now. I had to let events play out, to make sure history stayed on track, at least as much as possible. Besides Kreia was still of use to me, and as the old saying went 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'.

"Well, this is it, Onderon" I heard Rand say as I looked at the planet out of the cockpit view ports "And it looks like there's a long line to get into the Iziz Starport".

Somehow I didn't think we'd be taking the direct route.

"Caution would be wise" Kreia was currently saying "Onderon has an association with the Sith and the dark side".

Onderon had a long history, most of it unpleasant. A colony ship brought the first humans to Onderon sometime between 5200 and 4600 BBY. Owing to the brutal fauna of the world, the earliest encampments were hastily expanded into what would become the only city on the planet, Iziz.

The early Onderonians were described as having been peaceful before the arrival of the beasts of Dxun, but they soon learned to hunt and kill the animals. Eventually, most of the planet's inhabitants took refuge in Iziz and the city expanded as the centre of Onderon's civilization. Technology progressed, and the city's population grew to number in the millions. It also spanned thousands of square miles. Great walls and other defences kept the savage wilderness at bay.

In 4400 BBY, Freedon Nadd conquered the planet and established a dark side theocracy. His cultists were known as Naddists. Naddist tyrants included Warb Null and King Ommin. The Naddists sent Iziz's criminal element (opponents of the Naddists) out into the wilderness without any protection from the animals, expecting them to perish. However, these outcasts soon learned to survive and even defend themselves, and eventually formed a second civilization, the Beast Riders. Relations between the two groups were hostile, and they remained at war with each other for many years. The Beast Wars lasted until 4000 BBY, with the final battles serving as the opening salvos of the Great Sith War.

In 4002 BBY, Onderon first made contact with the Galactic Republic. The Republic asked the Jedi to watch over the world. Jedi Master Arca Jeth was selected as Watchman, and he assigned his Padawans Ulic Qel-Droma, Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta to the planet as a test.

The Beast Wars finally ended with the death of Naddist Queen Amanoa. Amanoa's daughter Galia married Oron Kira, the leader of the outcasts, known as the Beastprince.

In 3998 BBY, two years after the First Battle of Onderon, the Freedon Nadd Uprising occurred. The Naddists tried to overthrow Queen Galia, but were foiled by the Jedi and the Republic. Ommin and Sith disciple Warb Null were slain, but so was Jedi Kith Kark.

Also Onderon was the site of two battles during the Mandalorian Wars. Onderon, very interestingly, went almost entirely unaffected by the Jedi Civil War. It was almost as if Revan did not want to attack it.

Further more it was the only world in the Republic still capable of seeding ecosystems into other dead worlds.

Of note, Onderon's wildlife was some of the most aggressive in the known galaxy, particularly its winged drexl creatures flown by the Beast Lords there.

"Something feels wrong here," said Kreia. "A great disturbance in orbit… and again on the planet below"

While I didn't sense anything, however I didn't need to. I knew what was wrong.

"I guess this blockade is a symptom of larger problems on Onderon" Atton commented.

"If they decide to do a cargo search, we're going to be in trouble," Mira warned.

Hearing that surprised me as we didn't have anything illegal on board. No drugs, or weapons larger than a blaster rifle, sure the lightsabres might raise a few eyebrows, but they could be hidden. I could only assume that the bounty hunter had brought something naughty on board my ship. At some point I'd have words with her about that.

"Looks like we're about to find out," said Atton. "I'm receiving a message from someone called Colonel Tobin. Patching it through"

The voice was dripping with contempt.

"The Ebon Hawk. I was told to expect your arrival. I don't know what your business on Onderon is, but it ends here".

Given that we'd changed the ship's IFF while back on Nar Shaddaa the Onderon military shouldn't know the true name of my space craft, however since they did that meant I'd been betrayed. Someone on board had warned the Onderon military, and had told them the true identity of my ship. Most likely Kreia, or it could be that Visas was in contact with her master. Colonel Tobin's boss was after all allied with the Sith.

This was when sensors told us about a squadron of fighters that had broken formation and were now heading this way. They quickly moved into an attack formation, and opened fire.

"Red Alert!" I shouted over the ships internal comm system

I realised then that the term 'Red Alert' might not mean anything in this galaxy as this was Star Wars not Star Trek, but it hardly mattered as the alarms going off would tell people that bad things were happening.

The good news was that the Ebon Hawk was fast and manoeuvrable, and Atton was using that in an attempt to avoid our pursuers.

"I'm having a hard time shaking them!" Rand loudly informed

Skillfully he slipped the Ebon Hawk between a bulk freighter and what I guessed to be a passenger liner, which prevented the Onderon military's larger ships from getting a clean shot at us. Alas it didn't help much with the fighters which were nimble enough to keep up.

"They know this ship; if we set down on Onderon, they'll be all over us" Atton warned.

I knew where this was all going, but I found myself with no time to discuss it with people, as even more fighters were coming after us, and the Onderon destroyers were moving, no doubt trying find a good line of fire.

Thanks to Atton's amazing flying we currently only had four fighters on our tail. And soon it was only two as someone on board had gotten into their heads to man the ship's turrets.

The remaining pair opened fire with some sort of torpedoes, but missed, striking a cargo ship of some kind, which opened up with its own weapons. This soon started a massive space battle as everyone started shooting at everyone else. Clearly the tension that had been building up due to the blockade had reached a critical level, and now the people in control of the ships in orbit of Onderon had started to vent some of the pressure they'd been under.

Atton kept flying, weaving between other ships in order to stay clear of the destroyers. Alas we still had fighters on our tail and they seemed hellbent in blasting us into atoms.

"There's another squadron coming from Onderon," Atton said. "I can't keep us in one piece much longer. Sorry to spoil your fun, but we've got to land now. I'm going to put us down on that jungle moon".

Well no surprises there.

(Line Break)

"Atton, can you handle the repairs?" I asked "With T3 helping".

He nodded.

"It will be some time" Rand informed "I'm shutting down all unnecessary systems until we make repairs. It'll keep us from being a target. Even so, that Colonel Tobin may send people after us".

Oh I was sure he would.

"I'm not too sure where we are" Rand was now saying "But I did pick up the remains of an old outpost near here. Maybe that's why there's all these clearings around, maybe they were once settlements".

Given the chance I would have corrected him on that, however someone beat me to it.

"There were no settlements here," said Kreia, while walking into the cockpit. "Those clearings are what remains of outpost, or even crash sites".

No one other than the Mandos would be crazy enough to settle on this moon.

"Crash sites?" Atton asked.

"This is Dxun, where the Mandalorians began their crusade against the Republic," Kreia replied. "The remains of whatever outposts you detected here are military ones. We should be careful".

"This is where the Mandalorian Wars started?" Atton asked in surprise "This doesn't look much like a battlefield."

Despite being temperate and habitable, the jungles of Dxun were not a friendly place. Due to its constant rains and humid climate, mechanical devices did not last long and required continuous maintenance. Moreover, the jungles were inhabited by many dangerous predators such as bomas, cannoks, drexls, maalraas, skreevs, and zakkegs.

Though considered a moon of Onderon, Dxun and Onderon were almost sister planets. They were so close to one another that it was only a short shuttle ride between them, and sometimes they even shared a bit of the same atmosphere. Every year, during Dxun's summer season, the atmospheres of Onderon and Dxun would connect. This was what had allowed the vicious Drexls, which had been tamed by the Beastriders, to settle on Onderon.

In 3963 BBY, the Mandalorian Wars expanded into a galaxy-wide conflict when the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders began their invasion of the Republic. From their headquarters on Dxun, Mandalore's forces attacked and took nearby Onderon in mere hours.

Years later, after the Jedi Revan and Malak had entered the war and pushed the Mandalorian forces back to their original Dxun staging-grounds, a far more bloody battle was fought here on this moon.

The Republic attempted to capture the Mandalorian headquarters on Dxun. Republic forces managed to defeat the Mandalorians, but the victory came at a heavy cost. The Mandalorian outposts were entrenched and well defended by hidden mines, traps, anti-air turrets, as well as the ferocious inhabitants of the jungle.

During the bloody battle, the Republic lost ten soldiers for every Mandalorian killed. The Jedi Exile, who was in command of the battle, was forced to sacrifice dozens of her soldiers, sending them on a suicidal charge to disable the minefield that was the last obstacle keeping them away from the Mandalorian fortress.

"There may be a means to get to Onderon by another route. The Force has guided us here for a reason. We should explore our surroundings" Kreia advised "That nearby outpost would be as good a place as any to begin".

Well time to go and reunite with Canderous.

"Atton, you take charge of fixing the ship" I ordered "G0-T0, and T3 will stay here and help you with repairs".

This moon was no place for droids, but I'd take HK with me, I'd need someone to help me shoot the wildlife.

"What happened to that guy we were suppose to give a lift to?" I wondered.

He wasn't here, and I didn't recall ever seeing him on the landing pad, guess he must have been busy.

(Line Break)

"Statement: Master, I detect an extreme number of life signs. My sensors are overwhelmed and I cannot pick out individual targets" HK informed me.

I'd once stalked the forest floor of Kashyyyk, and this world felt a lot like this, only it was warmer and wetter here. Here it was kill or be killed, natural selection in action, and the moon was strong in the dark side. I liked it.

"It's the Dxun jungle" Mira said "It's been twelve years, but it feels just like it did when I left."

The bounty hunter then turned to me.

"I don't have to tell you how deadly the jungle is. There are plenty of dangerous animals here. You've got cannoks, boma, and we might even run into a zakkeg if we're real unlucky".

Visas had nothing to say, she'd barely paid me any attention since we'd had sex, and something was bothering the Handmaiden. As for Kreia, no doubt she would follow us.

We soon set off into the jungle, Mira leading the way, and she found us a path to follow. Mira explained that it was a game trail. Game trails are paths or trails created and used by the fauna that pass through or live in an area. Lots of game trails have been maintained by generations of animals.

If this was a game trail that meant some larger predators might well be waiting in ambush. Which turned out to be the case, thankfully the Force was with me and the beast met its demise due to the blade of my lightsabre.

"What is this creature" the Handmaiden enquired.

We were all taking a moment to inspect my kill.

"The Mandalorians call them maalraas," Mira told us.

Maalraas or Nighthunters were a non-sentient species of predatory creatures somewhat cat like. Nighthunters hunted in packs, using their long claws and powerful fanged jaws to disable their victims.

I knew about them because they could the Force to cloak themselves, making themselves nearly indistinguishable from the darkest shadows; only the most powerful of Jedi or Sith could hope to sense one before it attacked.

As if that wasn't bad enough their hides and bones were heavily resistant to lightsabers as well as intense heat, but luckily for us resistant isn't the same thing as immune.

"They're pack hunters" Mira warned.

While trying to sense if their was any further danger I felt that Visas was becoming anxious.

"Where did it come from?" Visas wondered.

"Calm yourself, blind one!" Kreia urged "You depend too much on the Force".

To be fair it was through the Force that she perceived the world. So these maarlaas might as well be invisible to her, and they were almost invisible to rest of us. Thankfully I had some experience with predators and knew how to handle them as such we defeated the rest of the pack.

 _"I've got some news,"_ Atton said over the comm _"The space battle is still going on, and the Hawk's sensors just picked up a contact heading to the moon. I can't tell what it is without active sensors, but it's broadcasting a distress signal, and it looks like it'll come down between you and the outpost. Could be somebody in trouble, or it could be Colonel Tobin, setting a trap"._

Either way I'd deal with it.

"Thanks, Atton" I replied, before turning to the group "Let's go check it out.

I didn't need to see her face to tell that Kreia disapproved.

"It is a foolish risk to take. Even if it is not an Onderonian trap, that ship is broadcasting its position. It will draw others, including those who pursue us"

This I gave some thought.

"Yes, but they're between us and the outpost" I pointed out "It would be a really bad idea to try going around them, we could get lost in the jungle".

That was the last thing I wanted, there could be anything out there in the jungle. Dinosaurs, Yautja, feral cannibal tribes, or even things I couldn't imagine.

"You must led us" Kreia said.

Oh so I was in charge for once.

(Line Break)

I saw at least three dozen heavily armed Duros stood guard around the ship, these were not good odds.

One Duros stepped forward, and spoke to us.

"You have led us on a very fine chase, human. The battle above was your doing, yes? Our ship is quite damaged now" he said.

Mira spoke before I could

"Well, if it isn't the Zhug brothers" she said "The bounty's long since called off, you know".

Somehow I doubted they cared.

"We're not here for the credits" the alien informed "I am Dezanti Zhug, head of the family. You killed many of my brothers on Nar Shaddaa. For this you will die".

Dezanti levelled his rifle and fired. I deflected the bolt precisely, sending it into the Duro's arm. The Zhug boss howled in pain and fell. The others Zhugs began shooting. Sadly for them, they were no match for three sith, a bounty hunter, a warrior woman, and an assassin droid.

(Line Break)

It wasn't long after dealing the Duros crooks that we ran into the Mandos. Without warning the air shimmered and a dozen or so Mandalorians appeared all around us weapons all aimed and ready to fire.

This was actually worrying as these Mandos were not like the alien criminals we'd just taken down, the Mandos knew how to fight Force Users, and they had us surrounded. If it came down to a fight they'd gun us down in mere seconds.

Rather than open up with their blasters, a Mando in red armour, the squad leader I assumed, walked forward and lowered his rifle; the others followed suit.

"We have orders to escort you to our camp, our leader wishes to speak with you" we were informed.

I couldn't resit.

"Take us to your leader" I said.

I'd always wanted to say that.


	12. Chapter 12

_"Come to the dark side now, when it calls, or you will have failed. The dark side will forever shun you, the weak-minded fool who believed he had the right to wield its power!"_ ― Freedon Nadd

 **Sith Gothic**

 **Part 12**

It was not the armoured Mandolore who exited the ship once we had set down at the space port. Canderos had left behind the mask of Mandolore. Which was allowed me to see that really he hadn't changed much in terms of appearance.

His face was weather beaten, and set with a heavy jaw and he had a small scar above his left eye. He had salt-and-pepper hair, that was cut in a military style, along with a full beard, which was new.

He wore a red-brown leather vest over a sleeveless black shirt, with tan fatigue trousers and a sturdy looking pair of boots. A large pistol was strapped to his right hip, and that was the only weapon he carried, or at least it was the only weapon I could see.

"You should do the talking while we're in Iziz" the Mandolore advised "My kind aren't big on diplomacy. Don't expect any backup either"

There was a reason why Canderous was making an effect not to look any different that a thousand other spacers.

"I expect the Onderonians don't much care for Mandalorians" I said.

Mandalore laughed.

"No, they don't, but that isn't the point. One Mandalorian would get shall we say: an impolite reception, but the mask of Mandalore might be the most recognisable piece of gear in the galaxy".

Actually I hadn't recognised it at all, however the Mandos had never invaded my home world.

Canderous wasn't one for idle chat so we soon got moving. It was a little strange it just being the two of us. I'd had to leave everyone else behind because the ship we'd run the blockade in had any been a two seater. Things were also little odd because Canderous and I hadn't seen each other since I'd been captured by Malak, and before that we'd not exactly been close.

"Here we are, the city of Iziz" Mandolore declared "It's been shut down tight for months now. General Vaklu is close to declaring martial law. We won't be able to travel too far in the city; it's hard for off-worlders to get a starport visa good for anywhere past the Merchant Quarter. Fortunately I have a friend in this quarter of the city. He's a doctor by the name of Dhagon Ghent. His office is on the other side of the market square."

Mandalore snorted.

"He isn't a very good doctor" he went on to say "but he knows how to keep his mouth shut. He's who you go yo, if you want a wound treated and no questions asked, no official entanglements".

"Friends in low places." I said as I nodded. "I like it."

There was a security checkpoint at the exit from the landing bay, that was manned by an Onderonian soldier.

"Name of ship and business?" the trooper asked.

Mandolore answered that question.

"Ah, yes. Your manifest says it's been two months since you last came here. If you've been gone that long then you won't know about the new security measures" the trooper was now saying "Can I see your identification?".

Again I could not resist.

"You don't need to see our identification" I said, while using a Jedi Mind trick.

I resisted the urge to add 'these aren't the droids you're looking for'.

(Line Break)

Once we had gotten through customs we headed out into the Merchant Quarter, and along the way I took in the sights.

The Royal Palace rose into the sky at the centre of the city; the raised walkways of the Sky Ramp connected it to the gun towers and the wall. Down here the avenues were wide and clean, which meant the at least the cleaning droids were doing their jobs

Restaurants, bars, and shops lined both sides of the street, with more vendors in stands out front. It was a perfect morning to go shopping. The sun was warm, and the markets were bustling with people.

However I only spotted locals who all wore a similar style of dress, there wasn't much in the way of tourists or travellers around here. A small number of off-worlders were around, non-humans, and every vendor was making an to attract their attention.

I also spotted animals from Onderon and Dxun that were in the process of being shipped to Telos for the restoration project. The delay in customs checks meant the beasts were stored in several stockyards near the port, and the smell was terrible.

The wall between the port and the Merchant Quarter was topped with automated blaster turrets. Soldiers were posted every block or so, watching everyone suspiciously. The new security restrictions seemed designed to intimidate rather than to protect.

While this city had once been a bastion of dark side power I didn't think that was the reason why there was a blanket of dark emotions covering the city. There was tension here, fear and repression.

I stopped walking when I heard an argument. The source of which was a squad of masked soldiers surrounding an older man. They were trying to cuff him and he was resisting. The lieutenant leading the squad was snapping at his subordinates.

"Let's hurry this up. I want him escorted out of here quickly" he was saying.

"This is outrageous!" the old man called out. "I'm not a spy, I'm a journalist for Iziz Comm".

The lieutenant didn't accept this as the truth.

"You're a Republic spy and your propaganda will no longer be tolerated" the officer told the old man "We are taking you back to our barracks for interrogation."

The reporter was shocked.

"What? Well, you can't be serious? You accuse me of propaganda? I have proof that Vaklu is withholding information..."

The lieutenant didn't let the man finish talking

"One more word of treason out of you…" he started to say.

This was when the officer noticed me

"What are you looking at? This is none of your business" he said.

"Please, help me," the reporter pleaded. "Vaklu's troops won't listen. I'm just a journalist, not a spy".

Rather than get involved I moved on. Civil rites violations weren't my concern.

"Let's meet with Ghent, find Kavar, and get off this rock fast" I whispered to Canderous.

I was still making an effort to gather the Jedi Masters, even if it was just so Kreia could kill them. Seemed like a wasted effort, but Goto was right about the Sith-Jedi conflict needing an end. At the rate things were going the True Sith in the Unknown Regions wouldn't need to invade because the Sith within known space were doing a fine job of messing everything up. Someone had to stop the madness and alas it was me who got the job.

Mandalore led me down the street to a large plaza with a tall statue in the centre.. A man was standing at the base of the statue, making a speech to a small crowd. The speaker was a pro-Vaklu secessionist; his talk was long on rhetoric and short on everything else, he was just a rabble rouser.

We walked on, and I followed Mandalore through an archway and into a smaller square to the west. This was clearly not the bright and shiny part of the quarter. The streets were dirtier, there were no soldiers to be seen, and several armed sentients leaned against the buildings. Beast riders and other thugs.

"This is Dhagon Ghent's place." Mandalore told me as we stopped in front of a seedy-looking building with a medcenter symbol on the sign out front. "He's not the best doctor you'll ever meet, but he's well connected in this city. Doesn't look like he's here right now, though"

A local walked up to us

"You looking for Dhagon? You're not going to find him here" he told us.

I sighed in annoyance, knowing that I'd have to get the doctor out of prison before he could contact the Jedi Master, that would be dull. At times like this I wondered if I should bother with my quest at all. Although I got the feeling that if I strayed too far off the path that Kreia would find a way to yank my leash.

"Where is he?" I asked to know.

The man hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

"A soldier captain was murdered at the cantina" we were informed "The guards gathered up some suspects from around here. From what I hear, Dhagon Ghent was one of them".

Why was nothing ever easy?

(Line Break)

Welcome to what must be the smelliest place in the universe, off-worlder. How can I assist you?" asked the officer.

Clearly he'd never been to Nar Shaadda, parts of that place really reeked.

"I understand you have a man named Dhagon Ghent in custody," I said.

The captain nodded.

"We certainly do" he told us "He and several other people were picked up in connection to a murder".

As expected, but that didn't mean I remembered all the details. I did recall that this part of the game was pretty dull. Lots of talking to people, and not much fighting.

"Who was killed?" I asked.

"Captain Sullio," the officer replied. "She was in charge of the Starport checkpoint. A good soldier. Your friend was one of the last people that saw her alive. So far he's just a suspect. But if he did it, the punishment is death".

Harsh but fair justice in my view, assuming of course the person sentenced to death actually committed the crime.

"Any chance we can talk to him?" I requested.

The officer crossed his arms.

"No way. We're under orders to make sure no one sees the murder suspects. Command is taking this very seriously. He'll be in custody until we either eliminate him as a suspect or find the real killer" we were informed "Dhagon has quite a record with the authorities. The Colonel thinks that murder isn't too far a stretch for someone like him".

The officer then shifted to a more relaxed stance,

"Look, I know Dhagon personally" he was now saying "He's one of the worst doctors I've ever heard of. But I can't see him deliberately killing someone. There was no witness to the actual murder, but he was one of the last people seen with Captain Sullio in the cantina. Ask around there. If you can somehow clear that up and prove it wasn't him, then command will cut him loose. If I say any more I'll get in trouble".

I thanked the captain and headed for the cantina.

(Line Break)

The clientele of the local bar was a mix of spacers and locals. Most were drinking quietly enough, but one side room had been taken over by a boisterous swoop gang.

While I was no detective it didn't take me long to figure out that the main two people to talk to in this case were a Twi'lek named Kiph, and a human called Nikko. Both had been present just before the murder, and both were currently in the bar.

Kiph was closer, so I approached him first.

"You're an off-worlder, right? My name is Kiph. Nice to see a friendly face. Iziz has been a hostile place for our kind lately" he said by way of greeting.

I went through the pleasantries, bought Kiph a drink, and soon got down to business.

"I want to talk with you about Captain Sullio's murder" I said.

Kiph sighed and nodded.

"I had the misfortune of being here that night. It's very inconvenient. Soldiers were asking me some very pointed questions. Which is a big no-no in my line of business" he told me.

"What, exactly, is your line of business?" Mandalore asked.

"Most call me a slicer," Kiph replied. "But I think that sounds too crass. I prefer to think of myself as an expert computer security analyst".

That would look good on the old C.V.

"My current employer is legitimate, an import-export company here in the city, but I have a history, as do many who frequent this cantina." Kiph informed

I took a sip of my drink. I was being careful not to get drunk, it seemed unwise given what had happened last time.

"Do you know Dhagon Ghent?"

Kiph shook his head.

"I do not know the doctor very well, or Captain Sullio either. I normally try to leave the cantina before the more serious drinkers arrive. That night, I was very near Dhagon and Sullio. They were sitting with some others, spacers I believe, including two attractive females. Dhagon was attempting what I assume was a mating advance. Sullio began swearing at him, in front of the others. Many of the words I've never heard before, but the ones I did understand I assure you were most impolite"

He paused to down his glass.

"I told the soldiers as much" the alien went on to say "They calmed down somewhat and resumed their conversation, but later, Dhagon stood to leave with another man, to return to his office. Sullio insulted him again, this time denigrating his skill as a doctor. Sullio left a minute or two after Dhagon, then I heard the shots."

Next I thanked Kiph and moved on to Nikko. The short, cheery looking man was sitting alone at a pazaak table, waiting for a challenger. I sat down across from him, took out my side deck out and laid a few credit chips on the table.

Soon the game was on. Nikko was a pleasant sort, and made small talk as he won the first hand without even using one of his side deck cards. I also lost the second round, mostly by not trying too hard to win.

"So, what brings you to the cantina?" Nikko asked as we started the third round "I don't think I've see you here before".

Well I'd never visited Onderon until now, although I had wanted to, but I'd been aware of the coming civil war so I'd avoided the planet.

"I understand you were here the night of Captain Sullio's murder" I said.

While Nikko now seemed a little nervous he was good at not letting show in his voice.

"Dhagon is a good friend of mine. What do you want to know?" he asked.

I lost the third round as well, but I didn't care about the money. I could easily make more.

"One of the witnesses told me that Sullio deeply humiliated Dhagon the night she was murdered," I told the human "That's an awfully good motive".

The gambler seemed very surprised.

"Oh no, by the four moons what a mix-up!" exclaimed Nikko. "They got it all wrong. Dhagon and Sullio were good friends. It's just when they got a little too much juma juice, they'd carry on. They'd call each other all manner of things. It could get quite hilarious, really. But it was just friendly banter. It may look strange on the outside. But it was just their habit, their way of passing time during these dark nights. Listen, if the soldiers think that's a motive, they just didn't do enough digging."

Mandalore tapped me on the shoulder.

"That bit of information will help with clearing Dhagon" he said "but the Onderon military won't let him off that easy. They're very obstinate."

This I agreed with, so I went about gathering more information.

"So, what did you see the night of the murder?" I asked.

Nikko rubbed his chin.

"I was cleaning up stakes from a particularly rewarding pazaak game when I heard a loud sound outside" he told me "I grabbed my blaster and went out the door. When I got out I saw Captain was quite dead. Blood was everywhere. I heard a noise and saw Dhagon Ghent coming from his office across the courtyard. We both waited for the authorities to get there. The next day they picked up Dhagon and several other people in the area. It's crazy to think he did it. Sullio was his friend".

So far so good.

"It might be a good idea to look at the crime scene," said Mandalore. "The Onderonian military are soldiers, not professional police. If they didn't dig deep enough to find out that Sullio insulted Dhagon all the time, they might have overlooked something there, too"

This seemed like a good idea so I followed Canderous as he headed out of the cantina. There was a small section of street cordoned off, near an alley running along the side of the cantina. There was carbon scoring on the wall, from blaster shots that had missed their target, as well as bloodstains on the ground.

It was pretty clear what had happened, the attacker must have surprised Sullio, shot her at close range, and then escaped down the alley.

I looked around and paused. There was a wrecked droid in the alley, near a trash skip.

"Nobody we talked with mentioned a droid" he said as he crouched down to examine it. "This droid was destroyed recently, and someone took its head".

I thought about this.

"Maybe the droid saw the murder" I mused "So the killer blasted it and took the head to cover up the crime".

If I remember correctly someone around here would sell me the head. Which meant the killer hadn't been to careful when getting rid of the evidence. That or someone has removed the head after the robot had been shot.

(Line Break)

When Mandolore and I got back inside Kiph was still at his table, sipping a drink idly while he worked on his data pad. I quickly moved to sit down across from him.

"Kiph, I need your help" I told him.

The Twi'lek looked up.

"What is it? I have told you everything I know about the murder" he replied.

I showed him the head of the droid.

"This is something that may prove Ghent's innocence, but I need a computer specialist" I said as I set the head on the table.

"That is S-0D3, Bahima's serving droid." Kiph realised "What happened to it?".

Many bad things judging by the state of the robot.

"He saw the murder" I explained "The killer blasted the droid to try and destroy the evidence. Can you recover it?".

Kiph connected his data pad to a port on the back of the droid's head.

"I can indeed. Give me a moment" he said.

Once the Slicer was ready I brought Nikko over to watch the reconstructed footage.

"Hello there? What is this? Oh my, she's dead!"

A burst of blaster fire struck the droid square in the chest. Then the feed cut out.

"There's no way that Dhagon could have done it," Nikko said, sounding rather relieved. "I saw him coming from his office. That's the opposite direction of the marketplace. We should go talk to Captain Riiken and clear all of this up".

Finally we could get this over and done with.

(Line Break)

"Nikko, is it? And the off-worlder" said the surprised officer "What brings the two of you here?"

The pleasantries were skipped.

"Dhagon Ghent couldn't have killed Captain Sullio," I stated.

"That's a bold statement," the officer said, sounding rather sceptical "I assume you have some sort of proof?".

Indeed we did.

"It's a long story, so bear with me, Captain," Nikko began. "The night of the murder I was playing pazaak. It was a prosperous night…"

I ignored what Nikko had to say as I'd heard it all before.

"That should do it. We still don't know who killed Sullio, but this will greatly assist our investigation" the officer was now saying.

"You have been ordered off this investigation, captain." The speaker was an older man with a major's uniform, who was currently walking over to us "I hope you can explain yourself."

The captain came to attention and saluted.

"I had nothing to do with this, sir. This citizen found information about Captain Sullio's murder. It's material to the investigation" he explained.

The more senior officer crossed his arms.

"We've already got our man. Sullio and this Ghent were fighting the night she was murdered. He had ample motive" the older man said.

"I was a friend to both of them, major." Nikko explained "They did that every time they drank together. Bahima, the bartender, can confirm it, as well as half a dozen other people. They were an odd pair, but they certainly didn't hate each other".

"That's as may be," the the senior said, sounding doubtful "Ghent has a criminal record. Scum turn on their friends all the time. He was at the scene of the crime, and he did not have an alibi".

This time I spoke.

"He was at the scene, all right. Nikko testified to that" I agreed "But he came from his office, and a recording of the murder shows the shot came from the other direction"

Now the officer seemed interested in what we had to say.

"You have a recording? I'm sure you're just misinterpreting it" he said.

"I've seen it myself, major," the caption told his superior "Nikko isn't the only one that spotted Dhagon coming from his office. It really can't be Dhagon Ghent. The real killer is still loose".

"Very well, captain!" said the older man "Set Ghent free, then. But if later it turns out he did do it, it's going to be on your head."

With that he spun on his heel and walked away.

"The men will be working on getting Dhagon out right away. The major sure isn't happy." the captain said with a chuckle. "You're quite a team. Together you got the major to back down. That's no small feat".

For a moment I considered that there could be some sort of cover up going on and that the murdered captain had been killed by one of the factions who supported either the queen or the general, but in the end it didn't matter.

(Line Break)

It was about an hour later that Dhagon Ghent turned up. Mandolore and I were waiting for him outside his office.

"Thanks for getting me out of there" he said upon seeing us "As detention cells go, it had definite class. But I prefer being out on my own all the same. I owe you and Mandalore one."

He opened the door and led the way into his office. It was a mess; the place had been ransacked. Drawers and cabinets were open and their contents had been spilled all over the floor.

Dhagon groaned and began looking over the damage.

"The painkillers are gone, that's to be expected" he was now saying "They didn't rip the equipment out; guess they didn't have time".

It was safe to assume the local drug addicts had looted this place, while looking for their next hit. I pitied such people.

"Mandalore said you might be able to help me out," I said to Ghent "I'm looking for someone, a Jedi Master by the name of Kavar."

Ghent raised his eyebrows.

"A Jedi Master, you say? Now that is interesting" he replied "You know, there's rumours going around that there is a Jedi in the Palace, one of Queen Talia's advisors. I can get a message in there, but I need something from you"

Of course he did. It was never simple.

"Whoever robbed me took a set of encrypted holodisks. The people I know, you don't just walk up and chat with. There's a procedure. And that holodisk has the procedure" I was informed "Bakkel's gang pretty much owns this street so if anyone has them its her. She's in the local cantina most days. She's tough as drexl leather and more dangerous than an angry Wookiee. If you take Mandalore with you, though, you should be just fine. Just get me the encrypted holodisk. After that, if there is a Jedi Master in the Palace, I'll get you a meeting with him".

Great now I had to do more talking.

(Line Break)

Kavar arrived at the Cantina about an hour after I'd recovered the holodiscs. Which gave me plenty of time to set things up.

"You must have gone through a lot to arrange this meeting" said the Jedi "The Palace is at full battle readiness. Smuggling in a message is no small task".

No it hadn't been.

"Greetings Master Kavar" I said.

"Kavar, huh? The famed Jedi Guardian?" Mandalore asked "The Mandalorians counted on the fact that it would be you, not Revan, who would lead the Jedi against us during the Mandalorian Wars. I wonder how we'd have fared against you. I thought you were killed fighting Malak during the Jedi Civil Wars".

This wasn't exactly the time for ideal chatter.

"A Sith Lord and a Mandalorian. Strange times lead to strange alliances, though" Kavar said with a smile. "But Why are you here?".

I started explaining about the Sith who were after me, and how I needed help in stopping them. Only I didn't get very far.

"Am I interrupting?" Colonel Tobin strode into the cantina at the head of a squad of soldiers "In orbit, I was sure that the Ebon Hawk was mine. I was certain. Only to see you slip through my fingers during the battle. Imagine my delight to discover you were on Iziz. Quite careless, if you ask me".

He then snapped his fingers.

"Get them, men! And watch your aim. Civilian casualties cause a mess of paperwork" he ordered.

Nobody fired because everyone in the Cantina was now pointing a weapon at the soliders. Most of the people in here were for hire, and I'd paid them off.

"I must return to the Palace. I'll get word to you when I'm able!" shouted out the Jedi Master as he fled.

Mandolore and I left before anyone could open fire.


	13. Chapter 13

_"So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."_ \- Dark Helmet.

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Part 13**

We'd stayed on Dxun for a while. Mostly because I'd been expecting the civil war on Onderon to start up soon, and it had seemed foolish to leave only to have to come back again. But so far there had been no war. Apparently both sides were still talking to each other, my guess was that the Sith faction that would support the general hadn't formalised an alliance with him yet.

The group had used the time wisely. We'd all done plenty of combat training with the Mandos, and we'd helped them with some of their problems earning their trust, to an extent. Hopefully they'd pay me back later when it came time to take on Visas's master, aka the Lord of Hunger.

I'd decided today that we had to get moving again because sooner or later the Sith working for Darth Sion would find us or much worse the other Dark Lord might turn up and eat all life on the planet. With this in mind I'd called together the crew of the Ebon Hawk.

"We're going to Dantooine to find Master Voork" I told everyone "Not that I really want to, he's kind of dick, but we will need the help of the Jedi to defeat the Sith, well the Sith who aren't me".

I wasn't a threat to the galaxy since unlike the other Dark Lords I wasn't a total basket case. Also Kreia was going to kill all the Masters, but that suited me as I wanted both sides wiped out so we got a clean stat and the fighting stopped.

Of course I also had to make sure that something of the Jedi survived so that the could rebuild. Perhaps there were more Jedi out there, or maybe someone would find a holocron. Really it didn't matter the Force would seek balance, the Jedi would return.

"Query: When do you plan to take care of these poorly put together imitations of me, Master?. They wish to assassinate you, and they will not desist because the fat one claims to have revoked the termination order".

By 'fat one' he meant G0-T0 who was a big round droid.

Theory: As I have postulated before, if we could only locate more of these units, I could locate the place of their origin, and we could obliterate these cheap copies at the source" HK then said.

We might get around to that.

"If they are hunting me then we're bound to run into more of them sooner or later" I told the droid "but if we don't we can always go back to Nar Shadda and track them. Might not be such a bad idea to go back. I want to make sure that Telos is getting its fuel".

For the life of me I couldn't remember why I'd decided to solve Citadel Stations fuel problem, it had made sense back when we'd been on the Smuggler's Moon drinking at that bar. Well if nothing else there be a reward for something for helping the station.

"Indeed," Goto said. "Though I must question your methods. Obtaining fuel from a Hutt will only solve the situation at Telos on a temporary basis, and the Hutt will most likely increase his prices once he realises how desperate Telos is for fuel".

Right now I wondering how the restoration efforts were going. I'd not gotten involved with the troubles between the Ithorians and that evil corporation because I'd gotten myself a shuttle from the local crime boss. After I'd help put her in power. Because of this the Ithorians might be having trouble healing that world.

"Vogga's slimy like all the Hutts" Mira the bounty hunter commented "but he is fairer than most."

Well it wasn't really my problem anyway. What was my problem, was the arguing. Everyone decided to voice their opinions of the matter of the fuel. Which they didn't really care about they just liked to argue. I had to wait for them to calm down before I could speak again.

Personally I wanted to go to Korriban right now, but Kreia would only prevent it. I had a feeling that Korriban would be where this would all end. Which made sense as Malachor meant nothing to me, and my life as a Sith had started on Korriban, and that was where this story would end. I'd not foreseen it in a vision, it just a feeling.

"Atton, set a course for Dantooine" I commanded.

With this people went their own ways. Only Mandalore stayed in the conference room. He took of his helmet and gave me a quick smile.

"You've taken on a lot of responsibility here" he said

Indeed I had.

"Revan dealt with the same thing when I knew her," he told me. "Before you joined, back when we were still learning to work together, everyone on board this bucket of bolts was arguing over where we should go and why".

I'd been more focused on Ballista back then so I might not have noticed the friction between other people. But even if they'd not gotten along that well to start with they had grown as a team. This crew was very different. No one here like each other, they just wanted to be near me.

Kreia wanted a student and a weapon to use against those who had made her suffer. Handmaiden wanted to know more about the Force, and might be attracted to me. Visas wanted me to kill her Master, or possibly be killed by him. G0-T0 saw me as a tool for his goals. HK just wanted to shoot things. As for Atton, I really did think it was a matter of him just not having anywhere else to go. At least T3 was on my side.

And to make matters worse, these were the good guys. Which just sucked because they were nothing compared to the last group I'd worked with. I missed Jolee and cat girl, Big Z, and Mission who'd always been able to make me smile. I even missed Carth, at least he had a valid reason not to trust me. I also missed Bastila. I really wished Revan was here, if only so she could take my place and defeat the Sith.

"Just remember, this is your ship and your crew," he went on to say. "Do what you need to do to get them to work together. Find a way to win their loyalty or at least make them fear failing you".

If I only knew what that was.

"And how about you?" I asked "How do I earn your loyalty?".

Canderous smirked.

"You don't because I'm not part of your little band. Right now we have the same goal" he told me "To defeat the the Sith, just like back in the day. If the Sith destroy the Jedi, the Republic will fall, and my people will be either eradicated or enslaved. The clans, they are my people, and your crew they aren't. As Mandalore, my duty is to the unification of the clans not to babysit you".

Which was his way of saying that he wasn't going to help me get this ship in order.

"That said I would like your help reuniting the clans" Canderous was now saying "Mandos tend to be where the trouble is and your just the kind of person who finds trouble".

The Ebon Hawk bucked, and the hyperdrive hummed loudly enough to be heard as Atton took the ship into hyperspace. The jump had been a bit rougher than normal. Perhaps this was because we didn't have that alien tech guy on board. Once we reached Dantooine I'd have to get a real engineer take a look at the ship.

"What will you do once you've gathered enough people?" I asked "Going to have another war?".

I suspected that they wouldn't. They just didn't have the numbers or the resources any more.

"Our next battle need not be fought against the Republic," Canderous said by way of answer "After we've dealt with the Sith, we'll need to spend some time rebuilding".

Well at least he wasn't holding a grudge over what had happened to Reven, and given that he had the mask of Mandalore I figured that the Revan had gone off the Unknown Regions as I'd expected. Perhaps I'd join her. Hopefully she wasn't too made about me killing her, or at least mortally wounding her. I actually didn't know which it had been, or even how I'd defeated her.

"That witch you have on board let me know what she thinks about the future of my people" Canderous informed me "I don't suppose you've seen anything about things will work out for us".

I did have some ideas.

"The future isn't set, but yes I've seen your people in the future" I let Mandalore know "They will still be fighting many thousands of years from now".

He laughed just a little.

"You and me got plenty of trouble ahead of us, kid" Canderous told me as he put his helmet back on "I'm looking forward to it".

He then left, so I went up to the cockpit and sat down in the copilot's seat. He must have heard my conversation with Mandolore as he commented on it.

"I could help you bang everyone's heads together, if you wanted," Atton volunteered.

Before replying I checked our course. Just in case Kreia had messed with Atton's head and made take us somewhere else.

"Given how long its going to take us to get to Dantooine I might take you up on that offer" I told him "We'll see how it goes".

Atton turned to face me.

"So I couldn't help noticing that your not eager to find this Jedi Master" he said.

I'd actually met Vrook before. Back when I'd joined up with Revan and her crew. Of course back then I'd not been the main character, and the Jedi hadn't been too fussy about gaining allies so Vrook hadn't bothered me. Now I was going to have to interact with him. It would not be pleasant.

"Truth be told. I'm not overwhelmingly anxious to see Master Vrook," I confessed.

Which was an understatement really, and perhaps I would have spoken more on the subject but that was when Kreia telepathically summoned me.

(Line Break)

"What do you think you would accomplish, if you were to train the servant of Atris?" she demanded as soon as I walked into the room "Her mind is closed to the mysteries of the Force. Some little Sensitivity she may have, but all her life she has been trained to block out the Force, its currents".

I'd not offered to train the Handmaiden. All I'd told her was that being Force Sensitive ran in families.

"The blinded one will not betray you I have foreseen this. The fool and the huntress, at least, pose you no danger. But to train such a one as the servant of Atris would be a folly".

Ah so Kreia had seen me training Handmaiden in a vision.

"If you will not consider your own safety, consider hers. Already her sisters despise her. Would you have them reject her entirely? And what of Atris? She will not forgive this betrayal" I was warned.

Kreia's forte was as always manipulation, as such I always took what she said with a big pinch of salt.

"I'm not worried about Atris's feelings" I told the old witch "I know that before this is over I will kill her or she will kill me. Nothing will change that".

Kreia inclined her head, subsiding for the moment. She was angry. I could feel her anger, simmering beneath the surface like water coming to a boil.

"If this is true. Then training the servant will make little difference" my mentor told me "Have you foreseen yourself fighting Atris?".

In a way.

"Yes" I said "But I don't know the details. Always in motion the future is".

Kreia, who had calmed down mostly, bidded me to sit with her.

"I have taught you to hear, it now time to teach you to see" the old witch was now saying "To see the present, the future and the past".

She was talking about Force Vision, a power only the strongest of Force Users could control. Yoda, as one of the Jedi Order's most powerful masters, was able to see into the future at will, at least some of the time, he understood that Force prophecy was not absolute and that the future was always in motion.

Anakin Skywalker had extremely powerful Force visions, but only in his sleep, and his visions were never known to be wrong. He foresaw the death of his mother following terrible torture by Tusken Raiders and was unable to stop it, his mother dying in his arms.

Later, he witnessed through the Force his own wife's death in childbirth and was determined to prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, he neglected to remember the fact that such visions are not absolute; what he saw was something that might happen. Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader to try to prevent it, but ironically he instead caused it to happen; when his wife discovered what he had done, she was horrified and badly wounded by her husband in his rage, subsequently dying after delivering her children.

During his training under Yoda, Luke Skywalker experienced a vision of his friends in danger on Cloud City, on Bespin. Because of this, despite his training being incomplete, he rushed to aid his friends, ignoring the warnings of both Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi that such a decision was rash. And he lost a hand because of it.

One of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time, Darth Sidious was able to use the dark side to peer into the future and manipulate events on a galactic scale to suit his ends. Despite this, he was unable to foresee his own end, when Darth Vader turned from the dark side to help his son Luke to overthrow him

It seemed to be that sensing the future was rather crap because visions never came with much in the way of context. Which was why I'd stopped paying attention to mine. There had been a time when I couldn't dreaming about the future. That still happened, but I tended to ignore it.

Perhaps it was time to explore this power, and to see if it could be useful, but I would never totally trust it.

(Line Break)

Once more I sat with Kreia as she trained me.

"We've talked about many aspects of the Force, but it occurs to me that we've never once touched on the subject of lightsaber combat," I said. "I've been trained to use a lightsabre, but there's no much more to lightsabre combat than what I know. I sometimes use two blades, or one. I've never really found my own style".

Kreia stood up very quickly.

"Follow me" she ordered.

She led me across the ship. She led me all the way to the port side dormitory. Which as ever contained Visas, who usually spent the majority of the her time in here meditating

Kreia addressed Visas about as kindly as she spoke to anyone who wasn't myself, and she was rarely nicer to me.

"If you travel with us, blinded one, then you shall work for your passage on this vessel" she said.

Visas stood up, but faced me

"Kreia wants you to help keep me up with my lightsaber training," I translated for her "I know your not that skilled in combat, but you're the only one of this ship who I can train with".

I wouldn't be risking anyone's else life because there were such thing as training lightsabres, and I had some of those on board. These weapons reacted as normal lightsabres if you wanted to deflect blaster bolts or spar, but they also acted as solid when meeting anything else, so it was like training with a wooden sword. Sure you could beat someone to death with a training sabre, but that would take a lot of effort, it wasn't something you were likely to do by accident. Still unless you used them against someone else who had the Force their lack of precog and enhanced reflexes meant the training didn't last long.

"Your lightsaber. Give it to me," Kreia ordered her tersely.

Visas' hand flexed around the grip if her weapon

"I shall die before it passes from my hands," she declared.

Kreia merely extended her hand.

"Your lightsaber. Give it to me," she repeated, more forcefully.

This was all very tense.

"She's not going to do anything bad with it" I told Visas "Let her inspect the weapon".

Visas handed the weapon over upon hearing my reassurance, and Kreia activated it, looking it over. She was judging Visas based on the quality of the weapon, at least in part.

"The crystal I took from the condensed mists on..."Visas began.

Kreia cut her off, handing back the weapon.

"It is adequate," she said dismissively. "You are young. Your energy for such things surpasses mine. And your skill is enough that you both will benefit from this training".

My mentor then handed out the training blades.

"Now. Try to hit her with the single blade," Kreia told me "Use only that weapon".

I switched on the practice blade.

"Fine. Visas? You ready?" I asked,

"This is no Echani etiquette ritual!" Kreia cried out "Do not ask her, attack her!".

I glared at her.

"Fine!" replied

I then looked at Visas.

"Let's get started" I said.

I waited for Visas to make the first move, mostly to spite Kreia, by taking a defencive position, but my sort of apprentice, did nothing. So I made the first move Then she blocked and did more blocking. She refused to strike at me.

While at first, she merely defended herself, then later she sometimes replied to my thrusts with an attack of her own. As more time passed Visas grew bolder, testing my skill with the blade.

Kreia had said 'try to kill.' But neither of us did, not really. I was using a practice saber, anyway. They could break bones, if you swung hard enough. But they could not cut people in half like a real sabre. I was pretty sure that I could beat something to death with this device, but that would be messy and needless.

I picked up speed and started showing off my knowledge of Form V. Form V, also known as the Way of the Krayt Dragon, was created by Form III masters who desired a more offencive style, since the defencive nature of Form III often led to prolonged combat, which was potentially dangerous for its practitioners.

Over time Form V evolved into an accepted style by combining the defencive manoeuvres of Form III with the more aggressive philosophy and tactics of Form II.

Form V required a higher level of physical strength than the other lightsaber forms, due to its focus on complete domination of its practitioners' opponents. It was considered the most physically demanding of all the forms.

Warriors such as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Bane, who would use this form in the future, favoured Form V, because of their physical strength and height. Traits I shared since I was far stronger, and even a little taller than I had been in my life on Earth. I also used it because I had a lot of raw power in the Force.

During this match I was holding back since Visas was tiny compared to me, and I had no desire to harm her, if only because she was useful to me.

"When you meet my Master, he will not hold back!" Visas shouted at me. "You must be prepared for anything. Strike me!"

I battered her weapons aside and hit Visas on the shoulder, she didn't cry out, but I could sense her surprise. Had that blow been real I would have cut in half from shoulder to hip.

Once she was ready to keep going Visas took up a defencive position , and we resumed. Time and again I battered my way through Visas's defences and hit her hard enough that she had to stop sparring with me. I must have bruised her, but she never called out in pain.

"Enough!" Kreia called out.

I stopped, and switched off the practice blade.

"You have defeated her," Kreia told me. "Perhaps tomorrow we shall continue, with two lightsabers instead of one."

She then took the practice sabers, returned my own lightsaber to me, and left the dormitory.

"Are you alright?" I asked the blind woman.

"Anything that I may do to help prepare you for what lies ahead I will do. My pain is meaningless, so long as you succeed" she replied "Everything I am is yours".

She might be saying just so I'd lower my guard around her, but still I couldn't help finding it pleasing that she was so devoted. It was also arousing. As a Sith I didn't hold back when it came to my passions so I decided to make use of what Visas offered.

"Let's have sex" I decided.

Visas' face remained emotionless.

"If it my body that you desire, it is my body you will have" she replied.

I started by sticking my fingers into Visas' pussy so that I could get her nice and wet. Visas moaned softly, not moving if she could help it. She just let me do what ever it was I wanted, and she seemed to enjoy me using her as she got very wet, very quickly. Which quickly led to me sticking something else inside her.

(Line Break)

On the second day I practised wielding two lightsabres until Kreia told me my performance was acceptable, however she also informed me that against a master of the sabre my duel wielding wouldn't aid me.

I was most certainly right handed, and while letting the Force guide my actions somewhat made up for not being able to use both hands equally, there were limits, which was why so few Sith and Jedi ever used two blades. Most went with a single blade or a double bladed sabre. Revan had been able to wield two sabres, but she'd always been something special.

In the end Kreia advised me to use a single sabre, but carry two, that way I could duel wield unexpectedly, which could be enough of surprise to my foes to grant me victory. Which I already did, so really that advice hadn't been so helpful.

On third day, though, Kreia didn't bring the practice sabers from the garage. But when we arrived in the port side dormitory, she still extended her hand for mine.

"Today I wish you to divest yourself of your weapons" she ordered.

I looked at her, then handed over my lightsaber. Visas made to do the same, but Kreia didn't take it.

"You, blinded one, you will keep yours" the old witch instructed.

Visas waited for me.

"Do as she says," I told her.

I noted that Kreia seemed pleased by my control over Visas.

"Let us see what you can do when you have no weapons left to you" Kreia said next.

I took up one of the Echani battle stances the Handmaiden had taught me. Visas activated her lightsaber. Looking straight at Kreia the entire time as if waiting for something.

Acting I shoved out with the Force and threw Visas back. She didn't hit the wall too hard. Not that it mattered, she was so broken already that I couldn't really hurt her physically. Even if I killed her she'd see it as a mercy. I also used the Force to bring her sabre to my hand.

Once the fight was over Kreia rose from her seat on the floor, and she was not happy.

"You have disobeyed me. Why?" she demanded to know.

"I did not disobey you," I told Kreia "You didn't say I couldn't use the Force".

Nothing was said for a while.

"No, I did not," Kreia replied at last. "Why did you use the Force?".

"Because she had a lightsabre and I don't" I answered "It would have been really stupid of me attack her with my bare hands when she has such a deadly weapon".

"It is enough" the old witch then said "There is nothing more for me to teach you. You know as much of battle as I"

She walked away, back toward the starboard dormitory and I turned to Visas.

"Are you hurt?" I asked.

Visas didn't answer. At least not directly.

"My life for yours" she said.

(Line Break)

After yet another training season with Visas, she was getting good with the lightsabre, I figured she was learning far more than I was, but from me there was improvement as well, I was approached by the Handmaiden.

"Why do you spend so much time with that Sith?" she asked.

She might have meant Kreia, but since I'd just finished training with Visas I assumed she meant the blind seer.

"We're training" I told the warrior woman "Not that it's any of your business".

The Handmaiden looked annoyed.

"I can train you" she offered.

No she couldn't.

"I'm training to become better with the lightsabre" I explained "You can't use that kind of weapon. Well you could, but you're not Sith material and good look finding a Jedi to train you".

While things looked grim for that lot I was sure that the Jedi Knights would rise again. It was the way things worked as the Force sought to balance things. One group would rise and then the other would, only in turn to be toppled again. The only way the fighting would stop is if both groups just left each other alone. But even this galaxy wasn't big enough for both groups.

"You are not a normal Sith" the Handmaiden remarked.

With that she just left. Which was odd.

(Line Break)

Brianna, commonly known as the Handmaiden, shrugged off her clothes and stretched. She was now in the cargo hold, wearing nothing but her black bra and panties, and she was prepared to exercise. Which was about all she could do on these long trips.

The Handmaiden turned as she heard someone draw close. She then saw the man who was an enemy of the Jedi and the Sith alike, but yet also allied to members of both groups. He was a master of the dark side, and perhaps he'd also be her teacher.

Gothic sealed the door to the bay shut, a precaution against prying eyes, but he didn't remove his clothes, and the Handmaiden couldn't help noticing that the Sith Lord admired her form. He was more subtle about it than Atton at least.

"You offered to train me" the dark lord said.

She shifted into an Echani fighting stance, and prepared to fight.  
But she might as well have not bothered as the Sith Lord used the Force against her.

She tumbled backwards, staggering, and then straightened. It hadn't been a strong attack. He wasn't trying to hurt her, he was just showing her what kind of power he had.

But Brianna wasn't simply going to give up, she believed that she could fight a Force User, even a powerful one like Gothic. So she gritted her teeth, and leaped through the air, raising a leg to slam it into his face. He twitched a hand and swatted her into a wall. As she rolled to her feet, he gestured again, and she again fell to the ground.

"A real Sith Lord or Jedi Knight would beat you easily" Gothic said.

Then when she got up again the darksider used the Force to pin her against the wall. He was smiling now, just a hint of superiority on his features. She grunted with effort as she tried to resist the power holding her in place, but it was pointless.

"You could call upon the Force to free yourself" Gothic advised "If you knew how".

Brianna then dropped to the ground.

"Just something to consider" the sith lord said as he turned to leave.

The Handmaiden did consider it. She thought of little else for days to come.


	14. Chapter 14

_"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. That's the only way to become what you were meant to be"_ \- Kylo Ren

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Dantooine 1**

 **Landing Site. Dantooine.**

Both the Jedi Enclave and the old capital city of Garang had been destroyed during the Sith bombardment, which had been ordered by Malak towards the end of the Jedi Civil War. Back when when I had been allied with Revan I'd warned the Jedi Masters of the attack, but even from orbit I'd gotten the sense that they hadn't listened to me. Not that I was surprised as they weren't the kind of people to listen to warnings from someone like me.

Atton landed the ship at the new planetary capital, a settlement called Khoonda, that was just south of the now ruined Enclave. We arrived in the morning, or what could be considered morning by the locals, but since they were farmers most people wouldn't consider this a decent time to be and out of bed.

However we were all up, and I was even dressed despite the early hour. I was wearing a layer of comfortable and light black clothing known for sturdiness, beneath the different bits of armour that I wore. No two items were from the same place, and the only thing they had in common was that they were all black. For example my gauntlets were from an ancient tomb that I'd found on the Wookie homeworld.

I wore an amourweave coat over my body armour, as it not only offered another layer of protection, I thought that it looked rather stylish and as a bonus it hid my weapons from view. Which was important when you carried a lightsaber as I didn't want to be identified as a force user.

As I led the crew down the ramp, a black-haired woman walked up to us while carrying a datapad. A device she used to access the records the locals had. This would tell her that despite the name the ship now carried it was in fact the Ebon Hawk, a vessel known to be under Jedi control the last time it was here. Its image would be in records.

"You'll find little welcome here, Jedi" I was told "For your own good, I recommend you speak to Administrator Adare, quickly finish your business in Khoonda, and then go!".

The tone of her voice caught me by surprise, sure I'd played the game so I'd known to expect this, but I still felt taken aback.

"The last time I was here it seemed as if the Jedi got along well with the people of Dantooine" I said.

Of course that had been before Malak's attack. Still it was a big change, I could remember a time when people came to the Jedi here for help, to settle matters, and even for asylum. How things had changed.

"You must have left before the Jedi Civil War, then," the woman said. "Six years ago, the Jedi were good neighbors. The kids, the Padawans, they were always around if you needed a spare set of hands. The Knights helped patrol the plains, keep away kath hounds and raiders. They weren't exactly the most sociable of neighbours, but we thought it was an honour, having a Jedi Enclave in our community".

She laughed bitterly.

"In the end it made this world a target. When Malak came, the Republic only had a small patrol group here. The Sith fleet was huge, the Republic forces didn't have a chance" I was informed "The Sith didn't just bombard the Jedi Enclave, they hit Garang and every other decent sized city settlement on the planet, just in case there might be Jedi there. Then the Jedi abandoned us they fought long enough to make sure the Masters got away, then left everyone else to die".

So my warning had not been headed after all.

"But Malak was defeated years ago," said the Handmaiden. "Surely you rebuilt".

By the looks of things they had.

"The Jedi never really came back," the woman said. "They poked around the rubble a little, made a show of providing medical help, but once they were through recovering artifacts from the Enclave, they simply left again. The Republic provided some support, but it was Administrator Adare who really started the recovery. She was just the Agricultural Administrator before the war, but she was the one who got the rest of the survivors organized. She turned the old Matale estate into Khoonda, got the fields cleared and replanted, so that we could eat at least".

This administrator person sounded like a remarkable woman.

"With the Exchange bounty on Jedi, you'd be smart to keep your identity secret" the woman was now saying.

After that warning she turned around and left, not even bothering to collect a docking fee or to introduce herself. Nor I was able to inform her that the bounty had been lifted,

"Well seems as if I need to go and meet with this Adare lady" I said to the group.

(Line Break)

 **Khoonda. Dantooine.**

"Wait here" I told the others.

Alone I stepped inside the office and found the leader of this place. As it turned out Administrator Adare was a tall, regal-looking woman in her mid-fifties. Her dark brown hair was coiled into a severe bun, that was held in place by what looked to be knitting needles. She radiated seriousness so intently that I could sense it with the Force.

"A visitor. Please, come in. Welcome to Khoonda; I am Administrator Terena Adare" she greeted "You're the owner of the, um… ship that just landed?"

I nodded.

"Yes, that's my ship" I replied "My name is Gothic"

I left out the lord part as that would just draw attention, but other than that I wasn't worried about using my name. I hadn't been well known during the war and any records the Jedi had about me would have been lost with the Enclave.

"Your transponder says different, but unless I'm much mistaken that's the Ebon Hawk" the administrator was now saying "That vessel has been to Dantooine before, during the war. That was a Jedi vessel".

Again I nodded.

"The ship did belong to the Jedi" I confirmed "and the Jedi don't seem to be welcome here anymore".

I didn't see the need to lie, but neither did I tell the whole truth. If this woman was left with the impression that I was a Jedi then that suited me just fine. Most people didn't understand the difference between Sith and Jedi in any case, and it was rare for anyone to even try.

"That is an unfortunate truth," Adare said grimly. "Most of the settlers here hold bitter memories of the Sith occupation, short as it was. Right or wrong, our settlers blame the Jedi and their Enclave for their suffering. I however remember the old Jedi Masters and the considerable help they lent to Dantooine"

She paused for a moment, and looked around, as if she was worried that someone might be listening who shouldn't be.

"I still maintain… discrete connections with the Jedi" the human female admitted "I suppose your arrival here is no coincidence".

Indeed it wasn't.

"That's part of why I am here" I confessed "I am trying to find a Jedi Master who is hiding somewhere on this planet"

Adare smiled slightly, she was no doubt thinking that despite my dress sense that I was in fact a Jedi, and an ally of Master Vrook. To be fair I had once been his ally, and even now I meant him no harm. I'd leave the fate of the Jedi Masters up to Kreia.

"We've known each other for many years. And our continued friendship could create many problems in the current political climate" Adare told me.

Which was her way of telling that she couldn't openly help me.

"He came to Dantooine not too long ago. He was looking into something quite important. Did he send for you?" I was asked.

Again I saw no reason to outright lie, and I sensed that this woman would know if I did.

"No" I said "He didn't send for me".

"Then why are you looking for him?" was the next question I was asked "and how did you know Vrook was here?"

I knew that my answer needed to be carefully phrased.

"There's a danger out there to all Jedi, and I don't mean the Exchange bounty" I told Adare "I've already contacted a few of the remaining Masters with the intention of gathering them together so that we can discuss the threat, and decide on a course of action".

Not that they'd live long enough to do anything about it, but I would discuss the issue, and if they somehow defeated Kreia then I would help them fight the other Sith, although I suspected that no matter what I would still end up doing the real work.

"I'll try to arrange a meeting" Adare promised as she paced in front of her desk "but I can't tell you when. Vrook comes to meet with me, but I never know when he's coming. The next time he comes, I will inform him that you are here".

Her lack of help with this wasn't a big deal.

"More than likely we'll run into each other before long" I told the leader of this settlement "He'll have sensed my presence".

Detecting a lone Jedi on this planet would be hard because this world was strong in the lightside even after Malak's attack, but the Jedi Master should be able to sense me. Even if he didn't, I knew what he was up to and would find him sooner or later. I just had to follow the path set out before me.

"The remains of the Jedi Enclave seem like a good place to start" I said.

Which was my way of asking permission to visit.

"I wish you luck," said Adare, "And while the Enclave might be a good place to start your search I don't think you'll find much there. The Jedi Masters saved as much as they could when Malak attacked. That was why they fled, to keep the holocrons and other artifacts out of Sith hands".

Hopefully they'd sent the Younglings away before the attack, that had been my hope when I'd given the warning. I didn't want the Jedi totally destroyed just the current Order of them.

"The Sith stole some of what remained, and destroyed more in the bombardment. The ruins have been picked over by scavengers, relic hunters are one of the largest sources of revenue for Khoonda" Adare informed me "The Enclave sublevel remains largely intact, but that's only because it is very dangerous".

If there was anything worth taking then it would be done there.

"Be careful there are large, cave-dwelling insects called laigreks who have made nests down there" I was warned "So far no salvagers have yet been able to bring much out of that level. Many have been killed in the attempt".

Adare paused, she was considering something

"Do you intend to visit the Crystal Cave?" she asked.

I nodded as indeed I did intend to visit the cave. If events were following that of the game, and that seemed to be the Will of the Force, or perhaps the will of whatever power it was that had brought me to this universe, then there should be a special crystal waiting for me in one of the chambers.

"Yes, I do" I confirmed "Have the kinrath have overrun the cave?".

I recalled that the strange creatures would be there and that they would be hostile.

"Wait a moment" Adare urged as she pressed a button on her desk. "Zherron, would you come to my office, please?".

A moment later the office door opened, and a man stepped inside. I assumed he was Zherron, who was a medium-tall man; he wore Republic made armour, which had been repainted, so I felt fairly certain that he was a former soldier who'd fought in the war for the Republic, either against the Mandalorians, or the Sith, maybe both.

"Good morning, Administrator" he greeted.

He didn't even acknowledge my existence until his boss gestured towards me.

"Zherron is the captain of the militia here in Khoonda," Adare said to me "Zherron, this is Gothic. He and some friends of his plans to go to the caves, the ones we were talking about earlier".

The captain looked me up and down, making note of my set of mish matched yet high quality armour. I wasn't carrying any weapons as far as he could see, but this was a meeting in an office so I would hardly have brought a blaster rifle with me.

"I certainly could use the help" the old soldier admitted "We've been trying to handle the kinrath for months now. They've been breeding like wild, digging new passages. The cave system they used to be contained to now connects the old Crystal Cave and that's far too close to this place for my comfort".

The Jedi must have been keeping their numbers down in order to protect the farmers, which they could have done by wiping out the creatures, at least on this part of the planet, but that wasn't the Jedi way.

"We keep blasting the nearby entrances, but they just dig more, and the main nest is now in the crystal chamber" he let me know "As they multiply, more and more are leaving the caves to hunt. The turrets keep them away from Khoonda, when they're working, but there are already parts of the plains that aren't safe day or night".

Pest control wasn't normally a Sith's concern, but since I needed to enter the cave I'd have to deal with the creatures.

"I can't go in there and clean out the nest; the kinrath there are too many and too strong for my boys" I was then told "If you think you can handle them... well good luck".

His lack of confidence in my abilities, while understandable since he knew nothing about me, was still a little insulting.

"I'll see what I can do, Captain," I said "I can't wipe them out, but I should be able to reduce their numbers and drive them out of the Crystal Cave".

While I couldn't be sure I suspected that there sudden increase in numbers had to do with them nesting in the cave. They might be feeding off the large amount of Force energy within the cave.

"I understand." Zherron replied

He almost didn't say anything else, but after his boss gave him a look he spoke some more.

"Keep your eyes open if you're heading towards the Enclave. There's a force of mercenaries camped in the wilderness area north of the ruins" the man warned me "They're a strong group, led by an ex-Sith trooper named Azkul".

Yes I'd have to kill him before I left. He was most likely the dark presence I'd started picking up on just a few moments ago.

"He says they're here doing forest and mountain training, but I don't think that's the whole story, but his men didn't bring any heavy weapons with them, and they mostly keep to themselves so I haven't tried to drive them off" I was now being told "Still, once a month or so, a group of them will get drunk and rough someone up. I'd steer clear of them if I were you".

Canderous would want to check them out in case these mercs had any Mandos in their ranks.

"Thank you" I said.

With that I left the office, it was time to get moving. I had much to do while on this world.

(Line Break)

 **Enclave. Dantooine.**

By the looks of things The Enclave had been torn apart by turbolaser fire. Part of one side of the main building had been blasted open so that the upper floors could be seen, at least what was left of them. Even from here it was clear that whatever had survived the bombardment had long since been removed by treasure hunters or by the Jedi who came to recover whatever they could.

The building and grounds were pockmarked with dozens of large craters, and the entrance to the upper levels was buried in rubble. Making it even more clear to me that there was no point looking around those parts of the Enclave for any Jedi treasure.

Outside of the Enclave there was a cluster of tents, making it look like a camping ground. I could already smell the cooking fires, and see the scavengers who'd come here in the hopes of finding a holocron, or a stash of lightsaber crystals, anything that was worth to allow them to start a new life somewhere else.

There were those foolish enough to believe that the Jedi funded themselves with huge treasures hordes that were kept in the lowest levels. This was a lie, the Jedi were a registered charitable organization that drew funding from wealthy beings and businesses who wished to give something back to the galaxy.

"There's no more room for salvagers here," said a rough-looking woman with grey hair. "Turn around and go back to where it was you came from. There's nothing left anyway, except the sublevel, and that's full of damned laigreks".

Her hostile tone did not deter me or my companions.

"I was planning on trying the sublevel," I said "but before I go, why don't you show me your salvage, I have credits to spend".

The woman brightened up upon hearing that.

"Sure, I'll show you what I have" she offered "But several collectors have been here before you, so there's much of the good stuff left".

She led us to a table that was made of bits of junk, and then lifted up a footlocker, which she rested on the table.

"The name's Daraala. I'm sort of the storekeeper here; the salvagers bring me what they find and I trade them for supplies and gear" she told me.

Before long Daraala began setting items out on the table.

"Robes and lightsabers are long gone; that was what everyone wanted" I was told "And I only have a few crystals left."

While the collectors who'd come here hadn't been Force Users, I could tell that as some of gems left behind had belonged to Jedi I could sense that with the Force, still they had been able to identify the items of real value to those who want to buy a real Jedi artifact.

"Most of this is junk" I said "Computer parts, bits of droids, but some of its good stuff".

This woman had a few intact focusing lenses, which were key components in the construction of a lightsaber. These lenses worked to regulate the beam of a lightsaber, allowing the blade the saber produced to terminate at a given point. Different types of lenses yielded different properties in the lightsabers that they were built into; in addition, like most other parts of the Sith and Jedi weapon, they required skilled craftsbeings to create them though often there mass produced versions that available to buy as focusing lens weren't exclusive to lightsabers, but the cheap lenses needed to replaced as they wore down quickly".

"Kreia is this what I think it is?" I asked the old woman.

Her nod confirmed what I had already suspected, that the lens had been constructed from an Adegan crystal for use in a lightsaber. Although Adegan crystals were one of several types of crystals that were suitable for focusing lens construction, they were more commonly used as focusing crystals in lightsabers due to their rarity and cost. The best lens were made by Jedi Masters who could be trusted to wield the most powerful of blades.

"Is it valuable?" I was asked.

While I had no desire to lie I didn't want to tell the whole truth.

"It's worth more than anything else you have here" I told the trader "This is actually from a lightsaber".

Before she could question me further on the subject I made an offer.

"I'll give you two hundreds credits for this" I said to the woman "And fifty more for the gems".

Which was little better than stealing it since this lens could be worth more than seven thousand credits, and collectively the remaining gems could be worth two thousand. I was surprised that no one had brought them before now, perhaps they were a new find.

"Certainly, and thank you," said Daraala, now smiling at me.

My group and I were about to move one when the woman spoke again.

"If you're heading into the sublevel, please look for my friend Jorran: tall man, long grey hair and beard streaked with black. He and Taepalae took a group in a few hours ago; the others made it back but he's still missing" she requested.

There was no reason not to.

"I'll keep an eye out for him" I said as turned and headed for the Enclave with the other trailing behind me.

(Line Break)

 **Enclave. Dantooine.**

The door to the Enclave sublevel opened with a horrible screech. Some emergency lighting was active, but for the most part the interior was dark, and the air was more than a little stale. Everyone switched on a light of some kind and as a group we began to move down the hallway.

T3 raised a little sensor dish from the top of his head, then let out a short series of whistles and beeps.

"Translation: T3 is scanning the area for life forms, master," said HK-47. "The duracrete walls reduce his detection range. Nonetheless, he is tracking two faint life signs, humans. One maybe the Jorran meatbag we were requested to find".

More than likely the other was the Disciple, or whatever he was called. Didn't really care for him.

"Caution: Laigreks are cold-blooded, and thus only detectable by bioelectricity. Under current conditions, T3 cannot spot them before they are close enough to attack" HK said next.

I sensed trouble ahead, but the Force wasn't helping much in this case as it was just a general bad feeling, which only grew as the group moved deeper into the sublevel. Before long I began to hear a metallic scratching sound. Which became louder as we turned a corner.

Several laigreks were moving around a closed door, trying to claw their way in. These were larger than expected, and I could see why they'd be a danger to treasure hunters, but when facing experienced fighters like my group they went down easily enough.

"Is someone out there? Anybody?" I heard someone call out.

The voice he come from behind the door.

"Help! Laigreks are everywhere! Help me, I'm trapped in here!" a man yelled.

I couldn't help finding this amusing for some reason. I also knew that the man who was shouting had to be Jorran.

"It's clear for now; the laigreks in this area are dead" I said loudly enough for Jorran to her me.

"Frak, you must be fierce with a blaster," the man replied.

I hadn't heard anyone use frak as swear word since I'd last watched Battlestar Galactica.

"Let me get this door open" Jorran was now saying.

There was a loud click and the door rumbled open.

"You must be Jorran," I said.

He nodded.

"That's me. Thank you for getting me out" he replied "I haven't got anything to reward you with, but I know where there's decent salvage in here, if you're willing to risk it".

Jorran pulled a datapad from his pocket and with it he brought up a map of the sublevel, with several areas marked.

"This room here is a machine shop" he said while pointing at the padd "There are half a dozen protocol droids in there, just standing in rows; they've got to be worth a couple hundred credits apiece. Get them activated, and they could just walk out under their own power. There's a library further down the hall, but the door was totally jammed. We were trying to get it open when the laigreks rushed us from deeper in. It's a good bet the nest is down there someplace".

This would come in handy.

"Thanks for the information," I said, while taking the pad. "We've cleared the way back to the surface; you should get to safety".

I then turned to the others.

"Come on let's clear out this level before we hit the library" I said.

The droids didn't concern me, others could claim them after my group had cleared the way. My interest was in the library. Knowledge was worth more than any robots.

(Line Break)

 **Enclave. Dantooine**.

"T3 download whatever records you can" I ordered "Focus on anything they have on the Sith, and Jedi training methods".

We'd just entered the library and while most of it was in ruins there were enough lit up shelves here to let me know that a lot of knowledge had survived. No doubt there was much here I could learn from, but my droid's memory banks were limited as were my ship's so I had to be picky.

"Greetings!" said the human male who called Micah if I recalled correctly "I am...".

I stopped him there.

"Listen buddy I don't care who are just go away" I said.

I'd never liked this character.

"But..." he protested.

I was firm about this.

"Go away or I'll shoot you" I warned "Go rebuild the Jedi Order or something useful".

On stun. I wouldn't murder someone just because they were annoying. Well not unless they were really annoying.

"Take a look around" I instructed the group "Once the download is complete we'll leave this place".

I walked over towards some corpses and saw that they were Sith assassins not mercs. They'd been dead for a while, and they'd been killed by a lightsaber of this I was sure. In fact they'd been dead for days at least and I'd not sensed any other Sith around so this was likely the whole hunting party.

They must have been hunting the Jedi Master who was hiding somewhere around here. This might explain my unease about this place, and it could also mean that there more Sith on this world. This kind of Sith could stay hidden until it was time to strike.

Which meant that I needed to hurry up and finish my business on this world before one of my fellow Dark Lord's tracked me to this planet.


	15. Chapter 15

_"A lightsaber—any weapon—only achieves worth in how it is wielded—in the effort, the struggle of one who holds it"_ ― Kreia

 **Sith Gothic 2**

 **Dantooine 2**

 **Caves. Dantooine.**

"Wait out here" I told the group.

Something was telling me that I needed to enter the caves alone. This place was strong in the Force like the caves I'd once gotten stuck in on Korriban while I'd been training, only in this case the nexus of energy was the Force in its purest form, life itself. Not dark or light, or a shade of grey, it was just life.

While in the game to layout of the caves was so simple a child could navigate them in reality the underground passageways here were a confusing maze, with numerous offshoots and dead ends, all lit by glowing crystals that were too small and fragile for use in lightsabers.

Of course I didn't get lost as I could feel the Force nexus in the main chamber. It was much like the nexus on Nar Shadda only more powerful and more contained. Also the nexus on the Smuggler's Moon was the product of sentient life, this was more animal, more primal.

No wonder the kinrath had been drawn to this place, I was that even those blind to the Force could feel the power here. Plus all the energy that crystals had collected generated light as well as warmth making it an ideal nesting site for the creatures.

I ran into several kinrath in the outer tunnels, but nothing I couldn't handle. The poisonous creatures grew larger and more numerous as I moved deeper underground, but they were a minor threat to a Dark Lord of the Sith. Drawing upon the power of this place I was able to bash the creatures into walls or I just shot them with the powerful blaster pistol I used at times.

The cave was sloping down towards the main chamber but not to the degree that it made it hard to walk. I didn't have to worry about tripping over and rolling into the main chamber. That would certainly not be an entrance worthy of someone with my status.

Before long I was rounding a corner into a much brighter tunnel, and the site made me pause in my breathing and as well as my walking. The nexus chamber was beautiful, there were so many crystals in every imaginable colour and size. No wonder the Jedi came for crystals for their weapons.

A small stream ran through the back of the room, reflecting the light from the crystals, and I could hear a tinkling sound, which only added to be the sheer beauty of this place. Alas I didn't have much time to enjoy the view as soon as I was again under attack.

The kinrath matriarch stepped into view from behind the pillar that was in the center of the room. The beast was huge, over three meters tall, with limbs that look as if they could pierce my armour with ease. As it was with humans, the female of this species was more deadly than the male.

It let out a series of deep, angry squawks, and its children, or mates, or siblings, whatever they were, charged into battle. With a snap hiss noise the silver blade of my lightsaber sprang into existence, and just in time to remove a poison tipped limb that nearly found its way into the flesh of my neck.

The second swing of my saber bisected the creature that had just tried to stab me, and then using the Force, that was so easy to call upon here, I sent several of the creatures flying into the walls. Yet this only thinned out their numbers. I still had more killing to do.

With my deadly weapon I stabbed one of the smaller beasts, well small compared to the female, driving my blade into the ground while feeling the creature die through the Force. It didn't feel wrong as death was a part of life, and I didn't have time to dwell on that as there was more fighting.

The kinrath matriarch tried to return the favour I'd just granted to one of her kind, and impale me through the chest while driving me to the ground, but I dodged out of the way and with a swipe of my sabre I removed the appendiage that had very nearly just ended my life.

One of the remaining smaller kinrath tried to jump me from behind, however I span on the spot, and when the creature hit the ground it did so in two parts rather than a single piece. Amazingly it was still alive so I finished it off by driving my weapon into what passed for the creature's head.

Then I return my attention to the kinrath matriarch, who didn't seemed to be phased much despite her wounds and the loss of her kin. I charged and ended her life with my silver blade, which I used to turn into something very, very dead.

"Force Sensitive locations such as this absorb and reflect Force energy," said Kreia, once the fighting had ended. "The crystals are the catalyst here".

The old witch wasn't actually here. She was talking into my mind, but it felt like she was with me. Which was still a bit creepy.

 _"I sense that Revan once passed through here, leaving a strong impression behind in the crystals. Perhaps future Jedi who visit this cave will feel your presence, as if seeing footprints preserved in the soil"_

Suddenly I reached out, acting purely on instinct. The end of one column broke off and fell into my hand. The crystal felt suddenly warm, and soon changed colour to a brilliant white, it shone brightly with the raw power of the Force. No darkness, no light, nothing that was between, just the energy of life itself.

 _"The crystal responds to you!"_ said Kreia through the link, sounding impressed. _"This is very rare indeed. The crystal's bond with you is such that the stronger you become in the Force, the more powerful your crystal will grow. This crystal will make an excellent focus for a lightsaber"._

Indeed it would and as I held the crystal in my hand I realised that I was going to need to build a new lightsaber, a very special one.

(Line Break)

 **Ebon Hawke. Dantooine.**

The lightsaber was a complex piece of technology, the weapon drew power from an appropriately sized power cell that could fit within the handle, and that was the easiest part to find as power cells were common across the galaxy, coming a wide range of shapes and sizes.

Other parts that would work to make a lightsaber include modulation circuits and an energy gate as well as a blade emitter shroud, the emitter matrix and some type of activator to turn the weapon on and off. The switch was the most simple part of the weapon aside from the casing.

Examples of parts that could be added included handgrip ridges and a blade length adjuster. Some lightsabers also featured a non-lethal low-power setting used for training. Single-bladed lightsabers usually had a belt ring so they could be hung from a belt hook, or a wheel-shaped attachment that slotted into a matching clip on the owner's belt when not in use.

During assembly, it was important to not accidentally invert the emitter matrix otherwise when activated the lightsaber's power grid would backfire. At best this could cause the blade to quickly short out, but if it was left on, the faulty weapon would violently explode, potentially killing those in close proximity. I reminded myself on this several times.

The power of the energy blade was so great that it could cut through almost anything, and an important thing to note about lightsaber wounds was that they rarely bled profusely, even when a limb had been severed. This was because the energy blade cauterized the wound as it passed, and thus even a severe wound did not tend to bleed heavily, and it was possible to survive having a limb removed by a sabre.

All of that and more I knew, yet right none of it actually mattered right now. The different parts of the lightsaber, which were currently floating in the air around me as I sat on the floor of the cargo, weren't anywhere near as important as what they would become when they came together.

I saw the sabre that I was going to build in a vision despite it not existing yet, and I'd never seen one like it before, the crossguard lightsaber, a version of the famous weapon which resembled the standard lightsaber hilt with a second, low-output blade emitters protruding at a 90-degree angle to the axis of the hilt.

The blades of the second emitter were produced by a specialized power modulator that utilized a splitter to produce two very short blades. The purpose of these blades was to shunt power away from the main blade and to block and catch an opponent's blade.

I had seen myself wielding such a weapon, yet mine would be somewhat unlike the sabres that I'd seen in my vision. The two smaller blades weren't at ninety degrees, it was more like forty-five degrees, with the two smaller blades moved closer towards the main blade.

Somehow the Force was showing me how to make this exotic lightsabre, a weapon that didn't exist yet, so I was inventing it, but using I was using knowledge that came from the future. Which was so totally mind blowing that I should have been blown out of my trance.

Also the sabre I saw myself wielding in a possible future was white in colour. The new crystal I'd obtained along with the special lens was going to create a truly unique lightsaber, and I knew that I would have to change my fighting style to adapt to the new weapon.

Which was fine with me as all true wielders of the lightsaber sooner or later began to include their own moves into whatever style of lightsaber combat it was they had chosen to focus on while training. This was a step on the road to mastery of the Force.

The blade of the weapon would be powerful, but also stable, unlike one of crossguard sabers that I'd seen in my vision. A focused blade well suited for a warrior.

Time passed and I build the saber while in a short of trance. I was unaware of the outside world and yet safe from danger as I knew that the Force would warn me if anyone was going to attack me. So I just kept working, and letting the Force guide my actions.

I didn't know for how long I worked, mostly what I saw was in my own mind, and the Force showed me enough that I was certain that I would be able to wield this new weapon.

When I came out of the trace I activated the new sabre and the darkness of the cargo bay was driven away by the sheer brightness of the blade. The gentle hum of the lightsaber was the only sound I could hear other than my own breathing. There was nothing else other than myself and the weapon.

I moved the sabre, getting a feel for the weight of handle, and while the blade itself was weightless that didn't mean it was easy to handle. Wielding a lightsaber wasn't like fighting with a sword, it was more trying to control a energy current. However this weapon was so well made, and so easily to handle that it might as well be a sword made of light.

The handle of this saber was heavier than others I had used, but I was plenty strong enough to wield it even without needing to call upon the Force for extra strength.

"You and I are going to have so much fun" I whispered the weapon.

But that would have to wait I felt hungry and I badly needed to use the fresher. I must have been sitting on the cold floor for quite some time.

(Line Break)

 **Caves. Dantooine.**

Two mercs came out of a side passage directly ahead and before anyone could react my new weapon got to taste blood for the first time. The mercs wore armour, but so powerful was the blade of energy now at my command that they might as well have been suits made of cardboard for all the good it did them.

"Stop right there!" someone yelled.

My comrades and I had just entered the main room, which contained a large groups of mercs who were led by a human woman who was wearing heavy armour. There were some other thugs as well, each ready for the fight. Also the Jedi Master was here, waiting in a cage to be transported to the head of the Exchange. Which was pointless as the bounty had been cancelled by now.

I felt both Visas and Kreia call upon the Force, and I knew they were reaching for their weapons, but I waved them off. I could handle these scumbags by myself, and I would since I wanted to try out my new weapon some more.

Smartly I'd left the others outside of the cave system so that those of who entered these caves were not ambushed on the way out.

"So the Jedi has friends after all" said the merc leader.

I highly doubted that Vrook had ever been friends with anyone, he was very unpleasant man to be around, and I suspected was a made a Jedi Master because only other Jedi Masters had the kind of self control required to spend time with the guy without stabbing him in the eye.

"Drop your weapons and then kick them away" the leader ordered.

The merc gestured with her rifle, and with a flick of finger I turned all the power off. The cave, the cage, and anything else they had plugged in around here had been getting power from a portable generator so when I switched it off the cave went dark.

When my white blade sprang to life it was the only thing the any of the mercs could see so naturally they shot at it. Which was exactly what I wanted them do and possibly the worst thing they could have done as it made deflecting their blaster bolts even easier.

While I was changing my style I still depended greatly on Form V: Shien/Djem So. Classic Form V. Shien was developed before Djem So, which it was partnered with later. Known as the "Perseverance Form", Shien was designed to protect against enemy blaster fire and strikes without compromising one's ability to launch powerful counterattacks.

With its focus against blaster fire, Shien kept in mind that Jedi and sometimes Sith, were often outnumbered by their opponents and needed to defend themselves while retaining offensive capability. However, it lacked effectiveness against single opponents which was why Shien was partnered with the more aggressive Djem So, allowing for strong attacks and formidable defence.

Because of my good defence I was able to batter aside most of the blaster bolts, and send two back at the five attackers, killing two of them, when that happened there was a pause in the fighting. I used this moment of non-action to go on the offensive.

With my movements aided by the power of Force I was able to close the distance between myself and the led merc in the blink of an eye, and while she wore an impressive set of armour it wasn't able to resist my awesome new weapon.

When my blade withdrew from the woman's chest I had to use it to send more blaster bolts back at one of the shooters, who was of an alien race I didn't know anything about, while using the still standing body of the led merc to block blaster bolts that were coming from the weapon of the remaining human merc.

Very soon he was the last man standing and rather than keep shooting, which even he had realised was totally pointless, the man bravely, or foolishly depending on your point of view, pulled out a virbo blade and charged at right at me.

Actually he charged at my weapon, as that was the only thing he could see, and I was able to use that fact to easily avoid his attempt to kill me with his knife. I used my weapon to remove the arm that was holding the knife, then I reached out with Force and sent the man flying into the wall of the cave so hard that he must have cracked his skull open as he soon died. I felt it.

I'd been tempted to rip the life force out of the last merc like I had done to foes in the past, but I preferred to hide that ability from others so that they wouldn't know how powerful I really was.

Once I was done with all the fighting, which hadn't lasted very long, I waved my hand and brought the lights back on. By now Vrook had left his cage and was now ready to start putting others down for doing the things he was incapable of doing.

"How typical of those who use the darkside" said the Jedi Master "Always the rushing into action without thinking of the consequences".

I sighed.

"How typical of those who use the lightside" I replied "Always standing around making judgments while other people do what needs to be done".

We just started at each other for a few moments until the Jedi Master looked away. I would be so glad when Kreia killed him.

"What? You were expecting thanks?" he asked,.

"From you, Vrook? No not really, but it would have been nice," I said.

The Jedi Master crossed his arms.

"Khoonda is in danger, and you've ruined the best chance I had of averting a full-scale conflict" he argued. "Right now Dantooine is at a critical moment. If Khoonda falls, the Republic may lose control of this system".

Which if nothing else it would make Goto unhappy, and since he'd pay me to help stabilize this planet I should help with that. I was running low on funds, even second hand lightsaber parts were not cheap.

"This attack must have been planned for some time, but they've been holding off for the right moment. And now since they lost their captive Jedi, they'll attack" the Jedi Master was now saying "I'm going to try and reach Administrator Adare. Time is of the essence".

Sith didn't normally go around saving Jedi, and while I saw sure that Vrook understood that I was here for an important reason, he clearly had his priorities in order.

"I hid my lightsaber before being captured" Vrook then told me "I need to retrieve it. I will meet you back at Khoonda. Good luck".

With that he turned and dashed out of the room.

"Guess we'll go save Khoonda then" I said to the others.

I didn't exactly have anything better to do today.

(Line Break)

 **Khoonda. Dantooine.**

"So you found the elusive Master Vrook" Administer Adare said to me as I entered her office "He's told me that his 'rescue' complicated our situation to some degree. I can't say that I anticipated that. Still thank you for finding him, though".

Well at least someone around her showed me some bloody gratitude.

"Vrook has also informed me that the mercenaries have devised a plan of attack to take Khoonda itself. I must ask you for your aid, as well of that of your friends" the woman was now saying "Zherron says that even with an attack plan that is ready, the mercenaries will have to gather their forces to coordinate their assault. So we still have a little time. But I'm afraid that the militia has not been adequately trained for the task that befalls them".

Zherron spoke next.

"The mercs could attack in as little as two days, or it could be as much as a week. In any case, we have to be prepared" he said.

Vrook was glaring at me, but I ignored him, right now we had more important things to do than worry about each other.

"My friends and I will help to protect this place" I promised.

Mostly because Goto would pay me for doing so, and because I'd sense a dark presence out there. Azkul, the leader of all the mercs were a darksider, not a Sith Lord or even a Dark Jedi, but he was still a possible threat to me, and needed to purged along with the other Force Users who were destroying civilization with this destructive` conflict.

"Who knows about the attack?" I asked.

I was a little worried about panic spreading, that could be a big problem while trying to put together some sort of effective defence.

"Right now just the people in this room and the militia," Adare said. "I don't want to create a needless panic. But be assured I will make sure that all civilians are warned in time so they can get to safety. Though if we lose this battle, nowhere on Dantooine will be safe".

Civilian losses didn't concern me I just wanted the non-combatants out of the way when the blaster bolts started flying.

"What do you know that needs doing?"

"Our militia is effective when it comes to peace-keeping, but isn't prepared for a full-scale battle," Adare told everyone in the room. "If you can do anything to ready them for the reality of it, that would be helpful".

That wouldn't be possible as I didn't think that there would be enough time.

"Besides from that, look around Khoonda and see what you can do to strengthen our defenses" the lady in charge went on to say "I know that we don't have the perimeter turrets online, and that alone could make a significant difference".

Not my area of expertise, however there were people and droids with the skills to repair such things on my team.

"Zherron says there is a considerable chance that they will enter this building and try to kill me" the Administrator then added "Anything you can do to slow them down could turn the tide of the battle".

I gave the matter some thought.

"My people will need access to your defenses" I said.

The Administrator handed me a plastic card.

"Here is a master card key that will open all of the security doors inside Khoonda. Anything that might aid you in your task, please use" she insisted "Soon all the civilians will be evacuated. So if you have business with any of them, I suggest you take care of it quickly".

I already had a few ideas of how to win this little war.

"Again, I thank you" the woman in charge said "Whenever you are ready to finalize the defenses, talk to Zherron."

I bowed to the Administrator, knowing that there was no reason not to show her due respect, and set off to work.

(Line Break)

 **Ebon Hawk. Dantooine.**

I called a conference the minute I returned to the ship. Everyone knew there was trouble the second I walked in, they didn't need the Force to sense, though some of could do it that way.

"And just what chaos have you stirred up now, Jedi?" Goto asked coldly.

I ignored the machine's tone of voice

"The mercenaries were plotting to attack Khoonda long before we arrived" I said "My presence here had just caused events to be speed up".

"Great," Atton said.

His tone of voice let me know that he didn't think it was great at all.

"Statement: I fail to see the problem, meatbag" was what HK said.

The Handmaiden, ever practical, ignored the banter and cut straight to the chase.

"How much time to we have?" she asked.

I didn't know for certain.

"The captain of the militia, Zherron is his name, says the attack could come day after tomorrow or a week from now" I told her "The mercs have to mobilize a large force, which gives us time to prepare, but we've got a lot of work to do".

Time was good, even a day could be useful.

"The militia here aren't equipped to handle a full-scale invasion," Mandalore said. "I saw them setting traps around Khoonda. If we could strengthen them, it would at least help delay the attackers".

That was a good idea.

"Perhaps there might be settlers some that would be willing to aid the militia in the defense of Khoonda?" Visas suggested.

I was sure that everyone would find ways to help.

"The Administrator also asks all of us who will to aid in the defense," I said "And I agreed".

"Affirmation: I will gladly join the battle and enact assassination protocols upon the mercenary meatbags!"

No surprises there.

"Thank you, HK-47" I told him "So long as you restrict your fire to mercenary meatbags then feel free to go assassinating".

One by one all of the crew volunteered to help as well, save G0-T0, who said instead that he would let things run their course, and Kreia, who remained silent.

"Kreia? Are you with us?" I asked her.

While I sensed she was disturbed by something through our Force bond, that was all I got from her.

"I am not. This battle you fight alone" she said "Let us see what you have learned. I…I need to center myself".

At some point I should check up on the old witch, but that could wait until later. Assuming that I cared enough to remember.

"Tomorrow we'll do what we can to help prepare for the mercenary attack" I said to everyone "Mira you're in charge of improving the traps around Khoonda. Canderous I want you to seek out the Mandos who are working with the mercs and convince them not to take part in the attack".

Mira and Mandalore both nodded.

"Handmaiden, try to help the militia" I ordered "We don't have much time, but any pointers you can give them could make a difference".

Some training was better than none.

"It shall be done," the Handmaiden promised me.

There was more I had to say.

"Atton, go talk to the salvagers" I command "They don't like the mercs, either, and if they take over then their business is going to dry up very quickly. Bribe them if you have to".

Atton agreed immediately.

"I'll take care of it" he said.

Atton would have a much easier time getting through to that kind of people than I ever would.

"T3?" I said,

The droid chirped.

"Your job is do whatever you can to improve the defences of the settlement" I instructed "Fix their perimeter turrets, and see what else you can do".

Once T3 beeped I turned to Visas

"You'll be with me" I told her "We can scout out the enemy and try to do some damage before the attacks even begin".

I then looked around.

"Dismissed," I said finally. "Get some sleep. You're gonna need it".

(Line Break)

 **Khoonda. Dantooine.**

"Thank you so much for your aid" said the Administor "You can be sure that Dantooine will not forget how the Jedi protected us from this threat".

I was about to point out that I wasn't a Jedi, but it didn't really matter and I was tried from the battle. It hadn't been what you'd call one sided, but thanks to the prep work we'd done and the skills of my teammates the mercs had either been killed or sent packing. The losses for the militia had been less than expected. People fighting for their homes and family could be fierce foes in battle.

"Thank you, Administrator" I said.

Adare bowed

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have much work to do" she said "And I believe Master Vrook wishes to speak with you"

With that and Zherron took their leave. With no mention of reward, it was good thing that Goto was paying me for this poodoo.

"Khoonda is safe in no small part due to you" the Master admitted "Now I am free to talk about whatever you wish"

We did have a bit to talk about.

"Do you know what is going on?" I asked.

"We are at war," Vrook answered, "but it is unlike any war we have fought before. We have yet to even meet our attackers in battle".

Well I had.

"Somehow, our enemy is targeting us through the Force, striking, then retreating to the shadows" the Jedi was now saying "The gathering of any Jedi seems to attract them like a beacon. So it was necessary to divide our forces and conceal ourselves for a time until we could learn more of this threat".

The time for concealing was over.

"The Sith have revealed themselves," I said "They attacked me on Peragus. They think the Jedi are defeated and now hunting me because I'm a potential rival".

Vrook listened to me as I told him some of what had happened to me recently and how I was gathering allies to take on the Sith who were hunting me. While I did want to end the fighting so that civilization didn't collapse, this was mostly a matter of survival for me.

"I've already made contact with some of the other Master" I told Vrook "They plan to met to discuss what can be done with the information I provided".

The Jedi Master grunted.

"Work with a Sith to defeat the Sith" he said softly "The Force works in strange ways".

On that at least we could agree.


End file.
